Back At Your Door
by meekobuggy
Summary: The Cullens are not the clean family everyone believed. Bella moved on after her breakup, with a successful career and determination to do what is right after the things she'd witnessed. Emotions are often set aside but just how far will you go for the one you love? Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

_The Cullens are far from the cookie cutter family they portray themselves to be. In fact, their hands are dirtier than anyone truly knows. On a fateful, family trip to Italy that they had brought Bella along for, she unintentionally saw more than what she had bargained for at their cousins' property and had to make some life choices. When Edward helped in the matter by breaking up with her, she continued on with her life, and her plans, she moved on._

 _Now older, Bella works for the CIA, recruited by family friends, not only for her interpersonal skills, but also due to her connection to the Cullen and the Volturi families. A deep cover, multi year mission brings out many emotions that a young agent was always told to ignore and brings together two friends closer that had others wondering about. At the end of the day, you just might find yourself asking, how far will you go?_

* * *

He came to to the smell of trees, the sound of birds chirping so loud that his head hurt and the nagging pain in his arm. He felt disorientated, but he needed to get to water. He needed to clean himself up and make sure that there weren't any toxins on him. If he was tagged, maybe he got lucky and would be able to get rid of that too - but that was unlikely.

The mission had been a complete failure. Despite the solid intel and Joan's insistence on accompanying Jason out in the field, things went wrong very quickly and the Golden Child's inability to shepherd his operative made him want to punch him. Auggie was lucky to be alive, but for now, he was lost.

They took everything from him, including his cane and that was just rude. It would make things quite tricky for a while until he'd find a stick long enough to serve as one. Getting to his feet, his head spun a little and as he ignored it, he started to shuffle in a direction, careful not to trip and careful not to hit his head as he felt around with his hands.

He collided with the first tree, and broke off a branch to extend his _vision_. If he truly was surrounded by trees, he'd find a longer one soon enough.

There was a river nearby, he could hear the water flow over the rocks and sand, hitting the banks. Straight ahead. He didn't foresee any problems unless there was going to be a stray rock in his path and he'd fall over. He did not want to fall over.

The water was refreshing. The river wasn't too deep, but good enough to get himself completely soaked in the heat, rinsing off old sweat, blood and other smells. The gash on his head and the broken skin on his arm were nagging, but he couldn't give in to the pain. It had to be a motivator to keep going, not a hinderance. Nor the thought of having lost Jason. He'd deal with that later.

He needed to find civilisation and call for an extraction team. Auggy ripped his shirt and made a makeshift sling out of it for his arm and after he was certain he was clean, he started to walk downstream.

And hoped he wouldn't walk into alligators.

~o.O.o~

Bella Swan sat outside at her favorite cafe in Volterra, Italy, enjoying the sunshine, morning newspaper, and espresso. She smiled as the waiter passed by her, setting down a frittata. "Grazie," she murmured as her eyes followed the handsome man back inside.

Her attention was distracted by her phone that rang in her purse unexpectedly. Seeing the caller, _Mommy Dearest_ , her surprise rose even more. She hadn't heard from her in nearly a year. Only had communicated directly with her handler.

"Pronto mamma," she smiled, her eyes glancing around her for any eavesdroppers. "Come sta papà?"

"Good morning, darling, are you free to talk?"

"Sto facendo colazione in un caffè. La frittata è buonissima." _(I am having breakfast at a cafe. The frittata is delicious.)_

"That is great! Your father and I just wired some money into your account, we figured you could use a holiday away from your holiday. For your brother's birthday, you know he loves it when you surprise him."

Bella's eyes narrowed at the mention of her friend and her body tensed on instinct. "Mamma, tutto bene a casa? In cosa si è cacciato, adesso, mio fratello?" _(Something happened at home Mama? What has my brother gotten himself into now?)_

"He was on holiday in Morocco. Last time we've spoken to him was when he crossed the border into Algeria a few days ago. His traveling companion didn't make it that far. But we figured you would like to go and find him, your father and I are too busy to make the trip ourselves."

She drew a deep breath as she stood from her seat, her frittata untouched due to the news she received. "Certo, mamma. Mandami un'email col suo itinerario. Mi assicurerò di fargli una bella lavata di testa appena lo trovo." _(Of course Mama. Email me his itinerary and I will be sure to beat some brains into the boy when I find him.)_

"Thank you, _zuccherino_. If you need anything else, your dad and I are more than willing to help you whenever we can. Expect an email soon."

"Di' a tutti che li voglio bene. Spero presto di spedire un po' di regali a casa." _(Send my love to the family. I hope to mail home some presents soon.)_

"Your dad and I can't wait. We're still using your last present quite often, your dad in particular liked the naughtiness you've sent us from Amsterdam."

Bella only chuckled as she shook her head, her tinkling laughter filtering over the phone before she hung up. Her amusement died down quickly after as she awaited the email as she begun the walk back to her apartment, wondering what had happened to her friend. She only hoped it was not the same dark ending his mission partner had faced.

~o.O.o~

There was no end to this river, was there? He had fallen in a couple of times, and the last time actually managed to snatch a branch long enough to keep him from making the same mistake over and over again. He had been walking for a good day now, at least that was what it felt like, and he hadn't stopped for a break. Only to drink some water.

He had a feeling that he wasn't in Kansas anymore, the heat was different and the mosquitos vicious. Then again, it could be his mind playing tricks on him. It surprised him that he hadn't encountered a human so far. Wherever he was, he must be somewhere remote.

By day two, he wanted to give up, but decided to take a break instead. He needed some sleep and continued somewhat rested the next day. When the river seemingly ended, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or aggravated, because it didn't seem to get him anywhere.

No sounds of industry. Cars. People. No sign of civilisation. Reluctantly, he turned around and headed back to where he came from. Maybe he'd have more luck the other way around.

~o.O.o~

It had taken her a few days, but Bella eventually, through some questionable but dependable contacts she developed along the Algiers border, through Tunisia, learned of a possible direction that her friend may had gone. Growing up in Washington State, she set off into the wilderness well equipped for the possibility of a short term stay. After all, she wasn't sure of what she might find.

Backpacking wasn't a new thing for her. It wasn't in her taste as a child, but she had grown to respect it more and enjoy it once she was forced to endure life on her own. Taking forced vacations once she began working with the CIA, the solitude was a normalcy for the girl. It even shocked her father when she suggested one such trip when she returned home to visit.

Her thoughts had strayed to the past, shaking her head to clear it, she attempted to focus on what Charlie Swan taught her about survival. Her eyes taking in every piece of damaged shrubbery and disturbed patch of soil with a critical eye.

Knowing Auggie as she did, she followed the natural growth, knowing it would lead to a source of water, and in hope, to him.

Two days of walking the woods with breaks only for small snacks and water, Bella's concern grew deeper. She didn't want to begin to consider that something more sinister happened to him, before she could see him one last time. She regretted not seeing him the last time she was in the States to see her father, only checking in with Arthur and Joan, before flying back to Europe to resume her ongoing mission.

He heard some movement to his right, but he couldn't be bothered by reacting to it. It was better if people approached him anyway, he'd have the element of surprise. The element that other people didn't have as he could hear them far away. He was tired. If it was a predatory animal, all the better, something he could kill and eat. He was starving. And, for some reason, he had Cyndi Lauper's song Girls Just Wanna Have Fun stuck in his head and couldn't help but giddily sing along.

"Ho sentito dire che certi impazziscono quando si perdono, ma tutto questo è ridicolo," a female spoke loudly. _(I've heard people go crazy when lost, but this is ridiculous.)_

Italian. Fine. At least it was another person. Someone who could help him get to civilisation. "Il sono ridicolo," he replied as he kept his eyes fixed on the river in front of him. "Parla Inglese?" _(I am ridiculous, do you speak English?)_

"Be', lo so da anni. Sì. È difficile passare da una lingua all'altra, lo puoi ben capire." Bella snorted as she made her way closer. _(Well, I've known that for years. Yes. It's hard to switch between languages. You understand.)_

He cocked his head a little as if he was processing the words. The voice. It sounded familiar but he wasn't quite sure. He was going to be bold and just ask. This person already thought he was crazy, so why the hell not? "You still like to get drunk and dance naked on the table?"

"Auggie…" Bella growled, dumping her backpack on the ground. She frowned as she reached him, confused as to why he hadn't moved or faced her. "What is wrong?"

"Concussion and a broken arm. At least that's how far I came with assessing the damage," he said with a wide grin. "So Arthur and Joan sent you to get me, huh? It must be my lucky day!"

Rounding the tree he was leaning against, she blinked as she took in the sight of him. "Yeah, they did. You seemed to have also left out some details from our conversations. I think she assumed I knew more than I actually did."

"What? I grew an extra head?" He said shocked as he lifted his good hand and started to feel around.

"How about the fact that you're blind? Were you ever going to tell me? You know, nevermind. Let's get you patched up and set up camp. I could use a night's rest before we head back and get you out of here," Bella replied, shaking her head, going back for her pack.

He sighed as he managed to grab her arm gently. "I didn't want to worry you," he muttered as he turned his head in the direction of his arm and smiled. "I'm okay."

She looked up at him as he stared over her shoulder. "I would have been concerned, yes. But I don't like lies."

"It wasn't a lie. It still isn't. I just neglected to mention it to you because I'm still me."

"A lie of omission is still a lie, Auggie. As long as you would have been alive and okay, I would have been satisfied. This mission? No one knew what happened and Joan knew I would come find you, no matter what I was doing. Hell, even Mom was concerned."

Sighing, he let go of her and leaned his head against the tree again. "Jason and I were in Tangier, things went not as planned."

"Clearly. Peters was an idiot and I'm surprised he even passed the psych evaluations. Hell, half the time I saw him with a gun in his hand, I was worried he might shoot himself in the foot."

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "This was supposed to be a low-risk mission, you know. You'd think that Mom would let me out of the house if it wasn't?"

Bella frowned and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "You do know that she won't let you out even to the park now. Take a load off while I get a fire going and make something to eat. I have some granola bars to hold you over in the meanwhile."

He heard her move around for a little while and fumbled with the wrapper of the bar. "Hey, Bella?"

"Sì?"

He managed to open the wrapper with his teeth and sighed again. "I've been meaning to tell you… three years ago I was in Iraq and a bomb went off. I don't think I'll ever see your mug ever again."

"Don't worry about it. You'll still get to dance with the Devil at the office Christmas party," she grinned. "Just don't keep shit like that from me again. I might not be so forgiving next time."

"Duly noted, Satan," he smirked before devouring the bar as if it was the best thing he'd ever had. "Things could have been worse."

"Let's not go there," Bella muttered, a clear indication of where her thoughts had been earlier. "Fire is building slowly. I'll get the tent up, but hate to break it to you. We'll need to share. I wasn't about to carry for two."

"Need a hand? I've got one good one."

She gave a light laugh as she continued with her task. "I've got it. You just take it easy now. As soon as I'm done here, I'll take a look at your injuries. Any cuts that needs stitching?"

"No idea. I know there's a gash on my head but not sure how deep. Not really sure of the state of my arm either," he said calmly. "I kinda ignored it all and hoped it went away."

Giving him a hum of acknowledgment, she pulled her first aid kit out and set it aside before assessing him. "Typical man. Let's get it over with now. You won't be able to see a real doctor until you're extracted so you'll have to make do with me."

He allowed her to check him over and make a splint for his arm and even though the moving around hurt, he was grateful for the relief. She handed him another granola bar and continued to clean him up. "Question. Where in the hell are we?"

Bella paused as she was cleaning his cuts, thinking of what to say. "Um, fifty miles or so from Algiers in the national park."

"Are you sure?" Of course she was sure, she had found him, hadn't she? Last thing he remembered was being in an abandoned building somewhere in Morocco before waking up in the woods. "Interesting. They went all through this trouble to dump me somewhere where they could have just killed me." Then a big smile appeared on his face. "On the other hand, you're here. So it's good that they haven't killed me."

"It entirely depends," she said with a grin, it wasn't as if he could see her smile like a lunatic anyway.

"On what?" she was smiling, he could hear it in her voice. This was good, it took his mind off of things.

"Whether or not I'm going to kill you in your sleep tonight. Payback for being an idiot and an asshole."

"I apologized for that," he countered. "Not good enough? I'll buy you a nice bottle of Jack. Or a pony. Your choice."

"Next time I'm stateside, I'll take you up on that Jack, or maybe the pony too but it would need to be a grown horse. I want to go horseback riding and your lack of eyesight isn't enough to convince me that you can't join me."

He snorted. "My lack of eyesight hasn't stopped me from doing anything. Well… apart from driving a car or observing a "target."

Bella shook her head. "Shame that awesome car is going to waste then."

"Not really. I still use it."

"How…? You know what… don't answer that," she said quickly, her face reddening. "Jesus Auggie…"

He fought back a laugh, but he was clearly amused by her reaction. "What?"

"You know what. Don't pull that act. I know you better," she mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

"As if I'd defile my beautiful car! I'm shocked!" He put his hand on her arm. "Don't roll your eyes at me. The car's perfectly safe. It can't go anywhere and the engine still purrs like music."

"Mmhmm…" She didn't entertain the topic further as she finished patching him up, lightly slapping him on the cheek before getting up to tend to the fire and food. "Soup should be mild enough for your stomach right now. I bought the canned stuff."

"I love the canned stuff. And it's chicken, what a surprise!" he replied and slowly got to his feet. Fire was to his left, water was straight ahead of him. He could walk around the fire and help her set up the tent. Then again, it was easy to erect a small field tent for shelter and it was possible that it was already up. "Anything I can do?"

"Not fall in the fire? Just relax until morning when we leave. I have things managed."

Sighing, he sat back down again. For the first time in days, he was going to try to get things sorted out in his head. What the hell had gone wrong in Morocco? He knew that Ben's handler had fucked up - royally - but he hadn't thought of Ben being this erratic. No, there was something else at play, something he needed to figure out. Was this all Jason's fault? Maybe it was his own fault, thinking he had covered all bases but obviously had missed the bigger picture.

The adrenaline was working off too, now that he was with someone he trusted and could relax, he could feel every muscle in his body act up and told himself to suck it up. "Did you find out anything about the people who are responsible for this?"

Bella made her way over to hand him his food and let out a breath. "I don't know anything about your assignment other than your itinerary. I wasn't read in and I didn't ask. My mission was to find you and I did. That was all I cared about."

"I'm so screwed," he said as he put the mug on the ground and circled the brim with his finger to check for sharp edges or whatever. All he needed to do now was to wait for it to cool some. He tried moving his broken arm but it was still broken and kinda needed two hands to figure out where the mug was going to go for the first time when drinking it. "Got a spoon on you?" He didn't want to wait.

"Sorry. I brought easy, basic stuff. Next time I come to rescue you in the woods, I'll be sure to bring utensils for a seven course meal for you," she teased.

"Ah well, I'll wait," he mused as he covered the mug with his hand in case bugs would get into his soup. Extra protein, sure, but unwanted. "I take it there's no cell reception here?"

She sat beside him with a tired sigh. "I lost reception about five miles up. We have to make our way down before we can call anyone. It's up to you if you want to come back to Italy with me before we make that call. I could tell Joan that you are fine but wait on the extraction but you know her."

"Considering I hadn't been out of touch long enough before she broke protocol and contacted you… I wouldn't be surprised if she'd be on the first flight out and pick me up herself."

"They got confirmation that Peters was dead. I think it was justified," Bella whispered. "What did you expect us to do?"

He wasn't sure about that. Treat him like any other operative, maybe? It wasn't as if things like this hadn't happened before. Then again, if the situation had been reversed, he'd be the first one to jump to the chance to get Bella back. Auggie moved his hand away from his mug, making a mental note where it was, and found her upper leg, that he gently patted. "Thank you, Bella."

She laid her head against his good shoulder and smiled. "Anytime, Auggie. Anytime."

He kissed the top of her head and smiled. "So, horseback riding. There's this trail in Virginia that has the best views someone could wish for. And cabins. We could do a long weekend away, recharge and have fun. Drink loads of booze."

She grinned at the thought. "Make sure to leave our phones at home. Completely untraceable weekend from Mom and Dad."

"Oh, that sounds to be the makings of the best weekend ever. Good booze, great music, the open air… and no parents," he let out a deep breath. "It's been far too long since I had a weekend like that."

"The only question is when because I still have my op I'm on. I don't know how much longer it's going to go but I know it's a long ride," she admitted hesitantly as she eyed him, not wanting to give too much.

"I know that," he sighed and squeezed her leg. "But it will be the first things we'll do when you're done and come back home."

"That and I cause some hell for any new faces of course," she grinned.

"And I'll gladly facilitate some of your more… outrageous ideas," he smirked. "I have the world at my fingertips at home. Last month I pulled a prank on Barber, it was glorious. I had arranged a marching band to march through his street at 3 am and stop in front of his house and then, a mariachi band followed him around wherever he went for the entire day. He was off duty, of course, but when he returned, I had replaced all his hidden snack stashes with healthy alternatives," he laughed at that before slightly shaking his head. "So the mariachi band was probably a little bit over the top. But I was bored."

"We will have to come up with something bigger. Depending on who we are going after. But for now, eat and rest. The sun is going down and it's going to get cold soon."

His hand moved back to his mug and dipped a finger in it to see if it had cooled down enough. "All this talk about eating and yet, I haven't heard you eat something yet."

"I'm fine. Just tired now."

"So am I," he replied as he lifted his mug to his lips and carefully took a sip out of it. He felt fortunate that it was a standard sized cup, less possibility to embarrass himself. "But you went out of your way to heat up this delicious soup, it would be a shame for it to go to waste."

Bella smiled, her eyes closing. "I promise I will have something in the morning with you before we head out. Okay?"

"You'd better," he said as he took another sip, a bigger one this time, and loved the feeling of it sliding down his throat and warming his body despite it having had some time to cool off. He quietly finished the rest and then reached out to ruffle her hair. "Let's get you inside that tent of yours."

She hummed a pleased response as her own adventure to find him had finally caught up with her as well. Lifting her head, she looked around, making sure that everything was truly well and fine. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Well, if you could guide me to the tent, that would be appreciated, seeing as there's still a fire burning and I have no idea how big you made it."

Standing, she took his hand with hers. "Come on then. Let's hit the sack," she teased lightly, pulling him to his feet. "I just hope you don't snore. I can't stand guys who snore. I will smack you in the face while you sleep and shove your dirty sock in your mouth."

"If you snore, I'll pull you out of the tent and throw you into the river," Auggie replied with a big smile on his face as he followed her. "Now that those threats are out of the way, I still don't snore."

"Here we are," she smirked as she put his hand on the tent.

He felt around for an opening and slowly crawled inside before flopping on his good side to make room for Bella. "You got enough room?"

She shuffled around, until she was comfortable and her head settled with a sigh. "I have enough room. I don't take up nearly as much as you and your ego. How's your arm?"

"Still broken," he replied as he tucked his good arm under his head. "And my ego is bruised. I mean, it took a _girl_ to find me. A girl!"

"I'll be sure to request to have Mom have you be the one to come rescue me if I need help next time I have trouble. Though with my luck…"

"You'd think that Mom would allow me to stay with you for the remainder of your mission? You get in trouble a lot."

Bella turned on her side so that she could look at him and pouted. "I'm not _that_ bad. And no, I don't think she'd let you stay, even though I would like it. I think I may have annoyed the parentals with my last care package I sent home. You will have to let me know if she says anything to you when you do get back though. I know she won't make a comment to me on what I got."

"Did you send them another strap on?" Auggie laughed. "I mean, I wish I could have seen her face when she opened the package!"

"Everyone knows that Joan has a set of balls now," she shrugged innocently, her fingers playing with his shirt button. "Maybe I should get Arthur a tutu?"

He couldn't help but burst out laughing at the idea of Joan with the strap on and now the balls to go with it. "Arthur in a tutu? How about a princess dress? Including a long blonde wig and a tiara."

"Steampunk? They don't pay me enough to get a costume that he can't rip apart that fast. I'm still thinking. I saw online a steampunk Batman costume. I think Dad might like that. For Halloween or something…"

"It's an idea," he mused as he moved his arm a little and ruffled her hair with his fingertips. He thought it was nice that she had a different kind of relationship with Arthur and Joan than he had. Sure, Joan was an overbearing lioness - especially to those she favoured, but he could always hear it in her voice when she spoke about Bella. "Get some sleep."

"You too. It's safe enough around here. I think whoever took you dumped you without a second thought. What are the odds of a blind man surviving in the woods? They just didn't know that you didn't have a Bella nearby to come rescue you," she grinned as she settled down alongside him with a content sigh.

"I would have kept going until I reached civilization. It's nice how people tend to underestimate the handicapped sometimes," he tucked his arm back under his head. "But I'm really glad you came to get me, makes it a lot easier."

"Sleep," she said with a smile in her voice.

"Yeah yeah." Only when he was sure that she was asleep, he allowed himself to drift off as well.

A/N: Many thanks to langsandlit over at tumblr for the translations. We are very grateful!


	2. Chapter 2

Just as he had expected, Joan forbade him to go on missions. He wasn't a field operative anymore, he was merely technical support. There was no need for him to go on missions and his last mission had been her mistake.

There was more to it, he could hear sincere worry in her voice and duly spent the days in his office without any objection. He'd find a way to go back into the field every once in awhile, but for now, he decided to be the obedient soldier and provide support from where he sat.

The debrief from that failed mission was brutal, but they had gathered enough intel to know that this hadn't been Ben Mercer's job. No, shit. He hadn't expected it either, Ben was a lot of things, but he would not harm his former co-workers like this. Auggie and Jason had uncovered a small time drug operation by accident and it got Jason killed.

Joan and Arthur assured him that they'd find a different way to get to Ben and that he should just let it go. And he did. He had a week off to heal up and returned to work with his arm in a cast, but ready for work. He missed Bella, a lot. Spending time with her had made him realize that he needed to see her more often. She was a great friend and she was on the other end of the world. It wasn't fair.

To celebrate his cast coming off, he arranged for Bella to have a champagne breakfast, delivered to her by some guy with a mule. It wasn't a horse, but it was a promise of some sort.. Granted, he wasn't to know her exact location, but he had his ways of finding out and it was fun to surprise her.

And then Annie Walker happened. Joan decided to give him an operative to handle and Annie was a whirlwind he wasn't quite sure how to contain. It didn't help that her first missions were hard on her but then again, not every CIA op was a breeze.

He had to fight back a smile when Joan sent Annie to butter up to McAuley and get him back into the CIA for his contacts. A lot of people had tried to bring him back into the agency, but the overall word was that they all failed. Technically, they did, apart from one person and he was curious as to how Annie would fare with him.

There were a few similarities between Annie and Bella, and they both had their own talent, their own approach. Despite being shot at, being hauled up with a Mossad agent and being involved in high speed chases, Auggie knew that this was going to be Annie's toughest mission yet. Hazing rituals were fun!

He wasn't surprised that Annie managed to bring him in. Granted, it took her a bit longer than it had taken Bella, but like everyone else, he was impressed. McAuley even came in after the op at the docks for a debrief, and that was special. The entire senior staff was watching. McAuley came by his office after he was done. As it happened, Annie was with him, to make sure he'd make it out of the building okay.

"Hey Auggie," he greeted him like an old friend. Auggie could hear Annie frown and fought back a smile.

"McAuley, nice of you to stop by," he greeted in return. "Are you coming back?"

"Nah. I have more important things to do."

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Annie couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Auggie!"

"What? We've only met once, briefly," he said defensively.

"This is true," McAuley said to Annie. "I had dealings with Bella Swan before. She was nice. Is she around, Auggie? She's long overdue for an afternoon of fishing."

"Sorry man," he smiled at him. "She's on a mission, but I'll send her out your way as soon as I can."

"Wait. You said that no one has been able to get McAuley to come in!"

"I did and that's true. He never came in," he said with a nod.

"Bella had me convinced to come in though, but instead she said that we'd go fishing."

"Which is funny because I really can't see Bella fishing," Auggie laughed. "She'd have a terrible time trying to get the worm on the hook because of the slimey stuff. You're lucky to get her to go camping."

"Yeah well," McAuley slapped Auggie on his shoulder. "You can't see much of anything, can you?"

"Touché, well played good sir," he grinned.

Annie escorted him out of the building at the end of the day and he could feel that she was worked up about something. "Something on your mind, Walker?"

"Who is this Bella anyway?"

"Satan."

~o.O.o~

Bella knew it would only be a matter of time before she would get the order. When she had given Jai three consecutive reports that there had been nothing going on, _Mommy Dearest_ , called her home.

As much as she'd come to love Italy for its culture and environment, she did miss _home_. She missed her friends, her family. No matter how dysfunctional DPD and the CIA was.

Auggie had told her in their last phone conversation that the family moved offices, to one with _windows_. She was skeptical about it, remembering the memo but deleted it with a roll of her eyes.

Walking into headquarters and stopping for her latte, she sighed after taking her first sip. It was certainly nothing like the coffee and espresso she enjoyed in Italy. Idly, she wondered if she could get one of their machines imported for her personal use as she started to make her way to the new DPD offices.

Stepping inside, she couldn't help but be mildly impressed. Looking around, she wondered where her desk would be as she continued to drink her coffee.

"Excuse me. Can I help you?" a young blond woman questioned her, as Bella had been standing in the middle of the sea of agents' desks aimlessly.

Bella smirked, raising her cup to her lips as she gave the woman the once over and looked away. "Nope."

The woman frowned, sitting straighter in her chair. She was about to say something in response when someone else approached from behind Bella, causing her to smile as he spoke. "You just can't wait to start stirring up trouble, can you?"

"Awe, Jai. I've been gone way too long. I've got a lot of time to make up for. I know everyone just misses Hell," she smiled as she turned to face him.

He laughed as he pulled her in for a hug. "I'm glad you're back. But you should be aware that Joan has a soft spot for Annie here. You might want to be careful with how much Hell you give her."

Bella turned to look at the gaping woman again, her eyes perusing her speculatively. "Is that so? But you know, I'm still Mom and Dad's favorite. Tell me. Where is Auggie?"

"Eh, he's being debriefed," Jai replied with a sigh and started to walk her towards Auggie's office. "Seriously, why do you like him so much?"

"Why do you have to be such a dick? Get off that stick before I hit you with it," she replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, he doesn't like _me_ , remember? He thinks I'm like my father and whatever I do to prove him wrong…"

"That's because your father is the loaded end of a horse's ass that's been fed a bottle of magnesium citrate. You can't blame him, especially when you don't exactly endear yourself to everyone. I know you better Jai, but he didn't work with you the way I did. It's not easy to get over misconceptions, especially long ones like that. You have your own about Joan and Arthur. Don't deny it," Bella lectured him, putting him in his place easily. "Just don't ask me over for dinner again because I won't promise that I won't throw my glass of wine on your father's expensive suit again. The prick pisses me off too."

"I don't live with him anymore, Bella, I moved out of his basement a long time ago," Jai said playfully.

She turned to him, drawing in an exaggerated gasp. "Oh my god! Jai Wilcox! You put your big boy panties on finally?! I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed as she hugged him. "This calls for a celebration. Drinks at the Tavern tonight?"

He hadn't missed this. Not at all. They were in the middle of the bullpen and she had made a scene and now all eyes were on them. He looked around like a deer caught in headlights and he could see Joan's big smirk on her face. He turned back to Bella and sighed. "Fine."

"Woah, it's quiet in here," Auggie remarked from the bullpen entrance. "Like… did something happen or something?"

"Oh, thank God," Jai let out a relieved breath.

"Or someone… That sounds like… Satan is home?" Auggie made his way down the stairs and walked towards the sound that Jai had made, but was stopped and nearly tackled on his way over. "Oh, hello," he said with a big goofy grin on his face. "It's about time!" Oh, he was so relieved that Bella was back. This last mission, the one that involved Natasha, had made him doubt himself, his actions, his entire being. Again. The last time he ran as far as Iraq to get her out of his system, and now she was back in. Bella had returned at just the right time.

"You know me. I had to make an entrance," Bella replied as she wrapped her arms around him. "How's the arm? Healed up alright? Hope you didn't get into too much trouble when you got back."

"For a while I did. Now I'm using my operative to get out in the field every once in awhile," he grinned.

She smirked as she pinched his side. "Sneaky. I like it. So what's the gossip mill I missed? Who are the new couples and shit?"

"Eh…" he said as he scratched his head. "Classified."

"Oh really?" she asked curious.

"Yeah, we'll talk about it later."

"Oooh, yes. I promised my little helper drinks at the Tavern tonight for becoming a big boy finally. I'm so proud," she said, wiping a false tear from her eye and laying her head on Auggie's shoulder. "My boy is becoming a man. I should buy him a box of condoms too. I need to find him a girl. You think that blond will go for him?"

"Please make her stop," Jai muttered as he walked off.

Annie wasn't sure what was going on, or who this girl was. She marched in there as if she owned the place and then proceeded to knock Jai down off the pedestal he had been on since coming to the DPD. Satan and Satan's Little Helper made a lot more sense now. She initially thought that Satan had been Henry Wilcox, Jai's father, but now she could see why it was his favourite nickname. However, this woman - Bella - sounded as if she was the biggest bitch ever. Even bigger than Joan. And Joan was smiling widely, almost as if she was patiently waiting for this scene to be over with so she could go over and talk to her.

And why was this Bella all over Auggie - who had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face?

Annie pushed herself off of the desk she was leaning against and approached Auggie and Bella. "Hi, Annie Walker, nice to finally put a face with the name. I've heard so much about you."

Bella turned her eyes to her and smiled, lifting her head, but didn't leave her friend's side. "I'm sure you've heard of me, but not so much. Most of the guys around here like to keep my details low key for the full impact when I come home. Makes it more fun," she admitted as she held her hand out. "Bella. You must be the girl that they think they could try to replace me with but there is no substitution for the real thing. But I'm sure we'll get along splendidly regardless. So much fun to be had with these boys."

"Be nice to the woman who's been getting me out of Langley every once in awhile, will you?" Auggie smiled at Bella. "She's as talented as you are in the field and a good friend."

"I'm always nice to the nanny. Just hope you didn't change the locks while I've been away and you best call your girls and tell them any dates you've made are cancelled. You're sharing with me because I'm not paying for a hotel," Bella grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to go check in with Mom now. I'll see you soon!" With that, she turned and trotted off for Joan's office.

Annie stood there, her arms crossed as she watched the woman make just as a spectacle of an appearance for Joan. Only the woman appeared simply amused by it and greeted her with a hug and closed the door behind her, before dropping the shades for privacy.

"What the hell was that Auggie?" she asked, confused by the whole display. "She just comes in like she owns the place and imposes on your life regardless if you had something planned?"

"Yes," he said as he took her arm and started to walk towards his office. He had some phone calls to make. "And that was Hurricane Bella. Just let it happen," he laughed. "What did Jai look like? Tell me! I can imagine him being all flustered and embarrassed."

She was flabbergasted herself by the event and blew out a breath of air from her cheeks. "Yeah, to say the least. He looked like he wanted to find the quickest way out but we were in the middle of the floor and she wasn't exactly quiet about her announcement about him putting on big boy shorts when he moved out from his dad's place. It was quite embarrassing to be honest."

He snickered as he rounded his desk and sat down. "Bella likes to make an entrance."

"Yeah. She said that a couple times," Annie commented, her eyes narrowing on him.

He could feel her staring at him. "No, we're not dating. We haven't ever dated. She's a great friend and a great operative. Yes, I trust her and so should you."

"I didn't say anything," she remarked innocently, turning to lean against his desk.

"You don't have to say anything, I know you, Walker. You're afraid that you're not my only girl anymore, are you?" He smirked. "Don't worry, there's plenty of me to go around."

Annie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Fine, fine. This - Bella - seems to be well aware of your suave moves with the ladies. She seems to think you have a number of calls to make? Especially if she's staying with you."

"And she's right, I had planned for dinner with a lady tonight. And I had plans for this weekend with the same lady. Then lunch with a completely different lady on Monday… and I have to call my maid service to make an extra sweep of the place in case she missed something."

"Mmhmm," she hummed before something dawned on her. "Wait. You have only one bed. Where is she going to sleep?"

"In my bed."

"And you?"

"Also in my bed," Auggie mused, he could only imagine the look on Annie's face.

She blinked as she looked at him, trying to piece the relationship together again. "I'm confused. I thought you said you weren't seeing one another, but you're going to sleep together?"

"Well, I'm obviously not seeing her, Annie," he rolled his eyes at her. "We're sleeping together, yes. But we do nothing more than sleep. And cuddle. Bella likes to cuddle when she's passed out. Nothing sexual about it but she's one hell of a cuddler."

She gaped at him, not sure what to make of that and shook her head. "You do know what she looks like, right?"

"Of course I do, she's gorgeous!"

"What?"

"But hey, Annie? If you're so interested in her, go and make a pass on her, I'm sure she'll love it."

She closed her eyes as she turned to head for the door. "I have a feeling that you are going to be impossible with her around for awhile," she laughed lightly. "Make your calls. I'll come find you later, Auggie."

Annie made her way back to the floor to her desk and sat down to gather her thoughts. No sooner after she got comfortable, Jai returned to her desk, sitting on the corner and leaning over towards her as he peered towards Auggie's office.

"So how did the interrogation go?"

"She has him cancelling his dates because she's planning on staying with him. Not asking, the woman just told him," she stared in disbelief.

"Good," Jai said lightly. "That means less work for Joan."

Annie looked up at him, wondering if he too lost his mind. "What does that mean?"

"Auggie and Bella are so open with each other that they discuss their… _adventures_. The moment Bella gets the hint that something turns serious, she tells on him to _Mom_ , who then uses her sources to vet the girl," he replied as he looked at her. "You haven't noticed that he appears to have a new girl every week?"

"Of course. But he isn't serious about any of them."

"Not anymore, no," he replied with a smile. "There was one girl in particular that rubbed Bella the wrong way, especially after what happened to the girl prior to her. She didn't even pass Mom's inspection and they've been keeping an eye on her ever since that time. But yeah, no serious stuff since then, Bella read Auggie the riot act."

"But what's so special about Bella that she gets all this leverage? Joan doesn't really treat Auggie all that different from the rest of us, other than keeping him grounded," Annie quietly argued. "He is even different with her."

"The bond that Auggie and Bella share is a little hard to explain, but to Joan and Arthur, she's family. But I expect them to treat Bella like any other operative on the job, so not to worry about that. They still give her tough jobs, like you or I. They don't sugar coat things with her either. They just - accept her odd sense of humor a little easier than most."

Annie accepted that a bit, assuming that there was more to their history for their relationship. "So, do you know how Auggie and Bella met?"

"Of course I do."

She smiled up at him and raised an eyebrow as she leaned toward him, crossing her arms on her desk. "Would you care to share that little bit of information? Considering everything that I witnessed today with the big boy panties she put you in, Jai. I'll buy you a beer."

He smiled at her and shook his head. "They met at the Farm."

"On a farm or like _the_ Farm?" she blinked.

"The Farm. They made a great team together and were practically joined at the hip from day one," he replied and then turned to her. "You know how you were told you had the best scores in a decade? Before you, there was Bella who came really close to beating those scores. She did things outside of the box, which is how she caught the attention of the CIA. She completed a double major in college in just two and a half years. She's very driven, task orientated."

That bit of information was news to her. There was more than just a standard friendship between the girl and Auggie she realized as she looked over towards Joan's office where she found her boss and the woman speaking and looking out towards them.

"You know, when she was here with Auggie, she was all over him. I could have sworn that they were together the way they acted."

"They're not, but they sure as hell are territorial when it comes to one another."

She glanced up at him. "You don't think they might secretly have the hots for one another? Total denial or something?"

"I don't know. It's been years since they've been together like this. Where Auggie is quite adventurous when it comes to dating, Bella's more careful. Believe me, I tried, but it never stuck."

"He made a comment about her being a hell of a cuddler. Who says stuff like that?" she mused.

"Well, she is," Jai laughed. "Some people talk in their sleep, she cuddles."

Annie stared up at him. "I am _not_ going to ask. I do _not_ want to know. Actually, I'm wondering if this might be one of the reasons why Auggie doesn't like you now…"

"There's a long list of reasons why he doesn't like me, sure, why not add that to the list." Jai looked up to Joan, who motioned for him to come over. "Now, excuse me, I'm being summoned. Finish your paperwork."

"Great. Yep. Try to get your devil friend under control. We're supposed to be professional here, you know," she hissed after him.

"Says the person who's acting like a jealous schoolgirl," Jai winked at her before walking up the stairs to meet with Joan. "So, what kind of drugs did you take to think that bringing Bella into the DPD was a good thing?"

Bella smirked back at him. "I've always been a part of DPD, even if I've been abroad. You know what my last mission entailed Jai. Even if it went cold there for awhile. I'm still hoping it'll heat up again eventually."

"I'm well aware and while I'm glad you're back, it seems that Annie has some territorial issues."

"Eh. She'll get over it. I'll just keep pissing on my rocks. They were mine first," she remarked as her eyes shifted over his shoulder to look at the mentioned agent.

"Are you two done?" Joan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," Jai replied. "What do you need, Joan?"

"How would you feel if I made you Bella's handler again?"

Bella rolled her eyes but remained silent as he looked at her curiously. He opened his mouth and closed it before speaking. "I'd be happy to. It'd be like old times… However I don't think that is quite what you have in mind with this."

Joan shook her head. "Even prior to Bella's arrival, Auggie talked to me about Annie's tendency to throw caution in the wind. Now, I'm not saying that taking initiative is a bad thing, we all love that, but I'd like for you two to be an example to her. And to Auggie. Work as a team, the four of you. Tell me your assessment of Annie in a couple of weeks."

"Are you having second thoughts about her?" Jai questioned, surprised, really. "You could always just send her back to the Farm."

"That won't be necessary as I know that we've made the right decision when it comes to her, but she's still new. I don't want to risk cultivating an operative who takes things _too far_. She could take things too far and we won't be able to cover it up."

"But Auggie can handle it."

"Sure he can. But I want your assessment as Auggie's known to be overly cautious or overly secretive."

"What if I say 'no'?" Jai responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sure, I'd like to work with Bella again, but not at Annie's or Auggie's expense. Surely you had to know this would be a bad idea."

Bella attempted to smother the smile that threatened to surface as her eyes flashed up to Joan, who sighed. "Those were almost Bella's exact words, but I believe the opposite. You want to work in my division, this is a good place to earn your trust with me Jai."

"Auggie's not going to like it."

"I don't care," Joan replied.

"I'll smooth Auggie's tail feathers tonight if this is how it's going to go," Bella murmured quietly.

"No need," Auggie muttered from the door. _Sure, make my day even worse_ , he added in thought. "I'm fine with it."

Bella looked over her shoulder and sighed. "Tequila y cerveza?" she asked, offering an unspoken apology.

"No, I said I was fine with it. I should have known something like this would happen when I voiced my concerns to Joan," he said as he held up his folded cane. "I'm going home. It's been a long couple of days."

"I'll meet you there later. I'll pick up some wine and dinner on my way. I still have to stop in by Arthur before I leave myself," she grimaced, glancing to Joan.

"I'll drive you home," Jai offered to Auggie, but his face turned even more sour. "Or you can take the shuttle bus, like always."

Auggie nodded and quietly left.

"Stupid Natasha," Jai muttered to Bella.

At the name, her head whipped around. "Did anyone put a bullet in her?"

"Auggie let her go after gaining the key we needed to disrupt her hack, don't worry, I already told him not to do it again," Joan said as she moved around her desk.

"Of course he did," she frowned as she stared out the door where the man had disappeared. "What else do you need from me? Because I still have to visit Dad and that isn't going to be a fun one. I'd rather go home and have dinner."

"Sure, go. And do I have to remind you to call your real father now that you're back in the country?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure. I'll give Charlie a ring. Maybe while I'm in with Arthur so that he can be a witness for you."

Joan just smiled at her and sat down in her chair. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."


	3. Chapter 3

Bella arrived at Auggie's apartment, pushing the large door open with a grunt. Her eyes glanced over the open layout, not finding her temporary roommate in the vicinity before she headed for the kitchen to set the bags on the counter.

Before even pulling the Chinese out of the bags, she went straight for the drawer for the corkscrew to open the bottle of wine she had picked up as her meeting with Arthur had went exactly as she anticipated. Her mission had stalled and while she wasn't completely pulled from it, it was still hers. It was just on hold indefinitely. Which means she was to remain stateside until further notice.

"Auggie!" she called out, pouring them each a generous glass of red wine. Symbolic of the blood she strongly desired to spill of the family she hated most. She set the glasses aside as she started to unpack their food.

"Welcome home," he said as he appeared from the shower wearing nothing but his sweat pants. He effortly moved through the apartment as if he was sighted and stood at the counter. "House rules; don't move anything big without my knowledge because I will hurt myself. Other than that, my house is yours."

Looking up, her eyes flickered over him, cheeks heating slightly. "Uh, yeah sure. Wine at your 3:00. I'm not an idiot," she muttered.

"Just saying," he said with a small smile on his lips and nearly knocked over the glass before picking it up and taking a sip. "And a red one at that. Tell me, who are we killing today?"

"Blondie, Jai, Mom, Dad, Italian scumbags, take your pick."

"Everyone?"

Bella set his plate in front of him and purse her lips thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing on him. "Well, you're safe. I happen to like you. And I'm sleeping with you tonight so I need my human pillow and my accomplice when we go to the Tavern to annoy Jai later."

"Damnit, you're making me get dressed," he muttered as he felt around for a fork.

"Yes, such a shame for me," she sighed dramatically. "But you could always strip back down after. You won't hear any complaints."

"Sure, I'll be your wingman," he said as he found chopsticks and started to eat his food. "Great cooking, by the way. Was it crowded when you went to pick it up?"

"PF Chang's? Always. That's why I call ahead and tell them it's for the Campbells," she said wisely. "In and out."

"PF Chang. I'm impressed," he smiled widely. "I usually go around the corner."

"You should come to Italy with me. There are a couple places that you would really enjoy. Small cafe's that have absolutely the best food. Not anything like the stuff here," she shared, a wistful smile on her lips as she thought about her time away.

"Oh, I know," he said, musing. "I remember my time in Rome as _mostly_ a pleasant experience. The tiramisu was to die for."

Her finger traced around the mouth of her wine glass as she stared at it. "I miss the espresso. The shit here sucks. That crap they serve in Starbucks is nothing compared to what they have there. Even though I was working, I still took what I could of the life and enjoyed it. But - I'm home now."

"I'm not surprised, you were gone for a very long time. I would have done the same," he took a bite of his food and sighed. "And I'm so glad you're home."

Bella smiled and ate some in silence, glancing at him occasionally. "So what do you think about this team idea? I warned her that it might not work out the way she is hoping."

"Well," he took a big gulp of his wine and sighed. "Either we're going to be a kickass team or we'll tank. But I think it's good for Annie."

"And by tank, there will be bloodshed. She doesn't strike me as a team player. What's her deal? She was like - all - I don't know. She just seemed super nosey about us."

"Annie… she's great. However, she also has this massive chip on her shoulder because she was pulled off the Farm one month before her graduation. Joan fawns after her. Jai… has taken a special interest… she's the golden child at the moment and she doesn't see that she can't handle that. She's taking unnecessary risks in the field and I fear that it'll be the death of her."

She rolled her eyes at that and drained the rest of her glass. "I'll be more than happy to knock her ass right into place."

"Ah, that will be easy, she's not very good at hand to hand combat yet," he smirked. "Her mind is still befuddled with the stuff they teach at the Farm, no matter how many hours we spend perfecting her skill."

"It has nothing to do with the Farm. It's all about her ideals and what she thinks about herself and others. She's over confident in herself and what she brings to the table. At least, that's what I'm able to determine from my small amount of time so far. What bothers me the most is the way she seemed to think she has some sort of claim on you. Have you given her any indication that you and her have anything more than a friendship?" she asked. "As far as I knew, you've had your girlfriends but no one in the agency."

"She trusts me and I trust her, but yes, even I have discovered that she thinks that there's something more going on. Then again, I think she fell hard for that Mossad agent too. What if she falls for a target? Ruin the op? She comes from a loving family so I'm not quite sure how this behaviour came to pass."

"Mossad? Are you fucking joking me? Who?" Bella asked.

"Uhh… Eyal Lavin," he replied with a smile. "She finds it endearing that he calls her _Neshama_."

Bella sat back on her stool and refilled her glass before reaching over and doing the same for his. "The bitch has a death wish. He does the same for all of his female contacts. He calls me that too whenever we deal with one another, but I don't make the mistake of trusting the bastard - no matter how attractive he may be."

"Attractive?" he blinked. "Seriously? Mossad hires attractive people now?"

"CIA hires them too. Have you seen Jai?" she grinned.

"Jai's face looks like it's been beaten - repeatedly - with a spade," Auggie murmured, taking another sip of his wine. "And that hair of his… how many jars of gel does the guy use a month?"

She grinned as she raised her wine. "But who am I snuggling up with tonight, Auggie-bear?"

Smirking, he raised his glass to her. "The guy who _willingly_ shares his apartment with you and calling off my casuals under the guise of my cousin being in town… indefinitely. So yeah. No idea when I'll ever get laid again, thanks."

"Just say when you would like and I'll charge a room for you and your hook up at the Hilton for the night, but I'm staying here," she smirked. "I'll even give you the condoms I was going to buy Jai for his graduation to adulthood."

"When did that happen?" He blinked at her. "His balls have dropped? Finally?"

"Well - I've only talked to him today in person, being back and all. He admitted that he moved out of Daddy's house into his own place so yeah, I had to celebrate his independence. Make it a spectacle. That's when you returned to DPD and everyone was silent because I embarrassed the pants off of him."

Auggie burst out in laughter. "Oh, that's so good! Buy him the condoms, I'll buy him a razor and some shaving cream."

"Don't forget the KY. We'll even bring gift bags tonight. Oh hey! We can be each other's dates so that no one can try get one of us to leave. Deal?"

"Deal," he smiled. "Just like old times."

"Awesome. So, I'll just clean up and get my bags from the car then get ready. You just sit there and look pretty until I relinquish the bathroom," she said cheekily, pecking him on the cheek as she passed him on her way through the kitchen.

~o.O.o~

Arms looped, he allowed her to guide her through the mass of people in the tavern. According to Bella, Jai had already secured them a table and it was conveniently all the way in the back. "Hey Auggie!" he registered the voice as belonging to Ricki. "Are we still on for next week?"

"Hey Ricki," he smiled as Bella continued to pull him along. "I'm afraid not! Sorry!"

"Looking fine, Auggie!" Of course Jessica was there as well. He then heard her giggle as her friend muttered something inaudible.

"I hope you used protection with each of them, Auggie," Bella murmured in his ear as she smiled sweetly.

"I didn't do anything with them, Bella," he replied sweetly. "Yet."

She snorted as she rolled her eyes, saying nothing else as she looked around. Nearly every single woman had their eyes on him and it annoyed her immensely. "You are insatiable with the ladies. Isn't there one that can keep you grounded yet?"

"Well, let's settle for you right now, shall we? I mean, you made me cancel my dates."

"I'm not asking you to put a ring on my finger and you're not actually sleeping with me like _that_."

"I only do _that_ to stave off boredom. Now that you're back, I'll no longer be bored."

Bella hesitated at his words and the way they made her feel, not wanting to consider what they could possibly mean. "Then let's have some fun and make things interesting by giving Jai our presents," she smiled, her voice wavering slightly, even though she tried to sound as strong as she normally was.

"He's going to kill us," Auggie snickered as she continued to guide him through the people before slowing down. "Hi Annie, Jai," he greeted them.

"Blondie, my Little Helper," Bella smirked as she held out a shiny, silver gift bag for the man. "I promised you a present. I keep my promises. Go on! Open it!"

Jai looked at her suspiciously as he didn't even dare to take the bag from her.

"Don't worry," Auggie said as he held out a blue gift bag. "Mine's safer!"

"Oh no," Jai muttered and shook his head. "The terrible twins are at it again?"

"I'm hurt," Auggie said as he felt around for a chair and pulled it back so Bella could sit down. "Madame, your chair awaits your beautiful ass."

Bella grinned as she turned and pulled him to sit first. "Thank you kind sir, but my ass prefers the padding of its knight."

"Very well," he sat down and pulled her into his lap. "Is your ass satisfied?"

She wiggled on his lap, exaggerating her movements before leaning against him. "Now it is," she answered and kissed his cheek. Turning back to face her friend, she pouted with disappointment. "Why haven't you opened our presents?"

"Because honestly, I'm scared," Jai laughed as Annie quietly put down two glasses of beer in front of Bella and Auggie.

"I know where you work. You can't possibly be scared of a couple of presents from friends," the woman deadpanned. "From your father, I could understand. I'm still working on figuring out what to do for him. I'm hoping to pull his name for the Christmas Secret Satan."

"He no longer works for the Agency, so you're safe there."

"So?" she blinked. "Get his name in the basket. I have ideas that will haunt him."

Auggie put his arms around her waist and leaned on her shoulder with his chin. "Open the presents, Jai."

"And what if I refuse?"

"We'll open them for you in the next ops meeting with Arthur and Joan present," Auggie smirked.

Annie looked back at Jai, concerned. "Can they do that?"

"They've done it before," he said with a sigh and reached for the blue bag. "Conrad refused to open one of their gifts in a semi-private meeting and then they proceeded to take it with them into the meeting with the DCI present. He received a blow up doll."

"Oh yeah! That was fun!" Auggie laughed.

"Dude, you couldn't even see the DCI's face."

"I did. He was warned and he still refused. Best suspension I ever received, even if the DCI got a kick out of it himself. He did comment to Conrad to keep the pranks out of meetings in the future, so - Jai. Open it. I don't want to get suspended again," Bella warned, knocking on the table before reaching for her drink, toasting to Annie in thanks.

"It's not as bad as the blow up doll, I promise," Auggie said as he shifted a little to be able to reach around Bella and looked for his drink.

"Razors and shaving cream?" Jai said incredulously. "I- hmm… thanks?"

"Don't mention it. Bella said you finally grew up and got a place of your own, so...you became a man," he shrugged.

"You already know I have a place of my own, Auggie."

"I know," he smirked. "I'm just playing along here. Hence why I gave you the saver presents."

Annie couldn't help but laugh. "I like this playful side of you, Auggie. It's more brazen. Less PG."

Bella smirked and pushed his hair back from his face. "Don't let him fool you. He's always been this way. If he's been reserved, then he's been hiding something big. Haven't you dear?"

"Or I'm just trying to be professional in the workplace," he smirked and planted a kiss on her cheek before taking a sip of his beer.

"Never stopped me before."

"Yeah well, you haven't been living under Mom and Dad's roof for years."

"You haven't actually lived _with_ Mom and Dad, so let's just drop that ball there."

"I'm still not hearing Jai opening the other bag. Maybe Annie will do it instead, won't you, Annie?" Auggie smiled widely. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"

Annie smirked as she reached into the bag and held up a bottle of lube. "Now that's just wrong," she said as she dropped it on the table. "So wrong."

"The lady at the store said that it's pretty popular. Supposed to warm to the body heat or something. That shit costs $30," Bella complained.

"It's great for when you accidentally run out of hair gel, too," Auggie smirked.

"I hate you both," Jai said as he quickly put the lube back in the bag and held up a box of condoms. "Seriously?"

"Pleasure Pack. Auggie selected the box. It was my idea though. If you enjoy them, thank him."

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was taken off his bathroom shelf," Jai countered dryly before setting the bags on the ground. "Thank you, for your… _considerate_ presents."

"Yeah well, I hid his supply for as long as I'm living with him."

"Joan and Arthur will kill you both when you end up pregnant, you know," Jai said as he took a big gulp of his drink. He needed to get drunk off his ass. Now.

Bella let out a sigh as she turned on Auggie's lap. "Why does everyone think we're fucking each other? I mean seriously. Do we give off like some kind of vibe that we're going to go running into every closet or something when we're around one another?"

"It's stupid, isn't it? Can't a good looking guy be friends with a good looking woman?" He rolled his eyes.

"We just sleep together for fuck's sake."

"Exactly! Well, we haven't slept together for like… six months but yeah!"

Annie blinked. "I have been at the Agency for four months… what happened?"

"Classified," Auggie said with a nod, but with a warning tone towards Jai. Because basically, thanks to him, Auggie had gotten into that mess in the first place. "Involved a tent in the middle of nowhere."

Jai shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he looked at Auggie. "A mission went awry, but yes."

"We didn't fuck," Bella repeated as she rested an elbow on Auggie's shoulder. "Nor have we ever. And before we continue any of this conversation, I will go on record that I have not had any relationships with anyone from the Agency, and I certainly don't get involved with or trust any of our _allies_."

"What about sleeping with an asset or target?"

"That's different," Jai said as he refilled their glasses. "Maybe we should order something stronger."

"I don't sleep with them. I'm picky enough with my boyfriends. I'm not going to get that intimate with some asshole just because my boss says it's okay. There are other ways to get what we need," Bella huffed as she looked around for one of the waitresses. She certainly was in agreement with her former handler that stronger drinks were in order. "What are we having? Wine or tequila?"

"Tequila," Auggie agreed, still feeling the need to drown out Tash. She had gotten under his skin so many years ago, and he had started to see her differently, not just as a target, but as someone else. Maybe it were just his hormones fucking with him, and Joan said it was okay to have the emotions but if he had to be honest, he sucked at relationships. Sure, Tash had gotten under his skin, but why did he feel like this when he wasn't even sure what love was? Had he really, truly, loved Helen back then or had she been a substitute? Still a sore memory at that? "Tequila," he said again and downed his beer.

Reaching for her purse when the waitress finally came by, Bella held out a large bill. "Bring out a bottle of Patron please, and four shot glasses. Thanks," she winked. "Keep the change."

"Alright. So…" she turned back the rest of the table, eyeing Annie. "Have you been filled in by Mother?"

"What? Joan?" Annie said confused. "About?"

"So she didn't tell you that the four of us are about to be one happy little family? She might still be working out the kinks in her grand plan then," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Auggie? What is she talking about?" Annie asked him as she took a sip of her beer.

"Joan wants to try something else for a change. You three are going to be in the field together, as a team. I'll still be your handler, but we're going to have to work with Jai and Bella for a while."

She smiled slightly as she looked over at Jai, who appeared apologetic. "I don't understand why things have to change. Everything was going good, right?"

"It's mostly a transition assist. I've been solo for too long. Sometimes they will put a team together to help ease back into other habits, or work with others in building theirs. My mission is stalled so until I'm sent back, I'm stuck home with the family, not that I'm complaining. I'm just hoping Joan and Arthur don't _literally_ send me home."

"You're not in touch with your family?" Annie blinked. "I don't know what I'd do without my sister, really."

"My relationship with my parents is like most American families," Bella smiled. "If they do send me to see my dad, either Jai or Auggie is coming along to suffer with me."

"No way," Auggie shook his head. "I'm not going back there again. The Quileutes are insane. They look like hippies and they stink. I swear, they were behind the boat sabotage that got me and your father stranded in the middle of the pond."

Bella smiled and tugged on his ear. "You enjoyed the cliff diving though."

"Yes, that was fun, but other than that? Well, maybe the barbecue but that's it."

"Camping? Endless hiking trails."

"We were followed by that pup Jake the entire time."

She rolled her eyes. "Harmless crush."

"If I do have to return with you, I will grab him, tie him to a chair and push enough sedation in him to not hear a peep out of him for our entire stay."

"I won't stop you. I might even assist," she grinned.

Annie was intrigued. Auggie had met Bella's parents! "So, have you met Auggie's family too then?"

"His brothers are just as nuts as him, but value their balls much more," Bella replied. "I won't be spending Christmas with them anytime soon."

"I take that as a 'yes'," she grinned.

"When she came with me, Mark managed to get the jump on her, tied her legs together and hung her upside down as if she was a fish," he snickered. "You should have heard her scream. It was loud. Until Rich cut her down, of course. And then proceeded to blatantly flirt with her."

"And I punched him in the balls for that. And Mark, too."

"And yet, they're not dating," Jai said to Annie, amused by the same stories they liked to share. There was more behind it all, but it was great.

"Guaranteed, if you called Rich, he'd ask if the _bitch_ is still around," Bella murmured. "Do it. I'm curious to know if his balls are still fractured from those suspenders."

Auggie sighed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked the home button. "Call Rich. Turn on Speaker," he said as he placed the phone on the table. "For some reason I think this is a really bad idea…"

" _Augusto! How's life? Hope you're not calling home for some money, bro. You still with that hot chick?"_

"What? You have money to spare? Because if so… send it my way. And what hot chick?"

" _Uhh- shit….you fucker. Is she there with you?"_

"Oh! You mean Bella?"

" _Of course I mean Bella. You haven't brought any other hot girls home. Has she wisened up yet? The crazy bitch broke my shit. Twice! I don't know what is wrong with you to stick with her! Why you calling anyway?"_

"So you are saying you didn't like the suspenders I got you? I'm sad now Richie," Bella commented.

" _Ah shit. Stay away from me."_

"I'm in Virginia. Where the fuck are you? I can have Auggie mail you a special present I got for you and Mark. I got it while I was overseas and thought of the two of you special. You can even share!" she grinned, running her hand along Auggie's shoulder.

"I was just calling, Rich. People don't believe I have brothers. Thought I'd prove it to them."

" _I'm not your brother. Are you drunk?"_

"I might be and you are my brother. Don't make me call mom because you're denying my existence again."

" _Yeah well, you have one crazy bitch of a girl there. You have a harder time convincing people she doesn't belong in a mental hospital. She broke Mark's and my balls, literally. I didn't even know our balls could be broken. Did you? Because that shit hurts."_

"Yep. They teach that shit in the army dude."

"I want to learn that," Annie grinned as she looked at Bella. "Can you teach me?"

"You grab, twist, and pull hard. If they are strapped up in something, isolating, it makes it even easier. Just don't ask what Rich was doing during that bit that I walked in on. There isn't enough brain bleach in the world to fix that mental image," Bella sighed. "Auggie had to pay quite a bit to get me acceptably drunk that night and for a hotel because I refused to go back to the house."

" _Yeah that was…-"_

"Bye Rich!" Auggie tapped his phone twice to break the connection and pocketed his phone again. "Remind me not to ever have you two in one room together ever again."

"I'll just break his balls again, Darling," Bella answered demurely.

"Hmm…" he pulled her closer against him and put his chin back on her shoulder. "Where's the tequila?"

She rested her head back against his and hummed in agreement. "Yes, where is Mr. Patron?"

"The waitress is just coming our way," Jai replied. "And as for more revelations, let's just keep those personal things personal, shall we? We've divulged enough already."

"You haven't," Annie pointed out.

"My father is a dick, what else is there?"

Bella snorted. "Everyone knows your father is a dick. He's the king of dicks. Maybe I'll buy him a dildo for Christmas. Maybe one that vibrates? What do you think?"

"Here's a question," Jai said after the waitress left and leaned into the table to get a bit closer to her. "How do you know so much about sex attributes? Did you really have nothing else to do on your mission than to browse through websites or magazines?"

She sat there and smiled back at him, slowly grinning. "You would like to know that, would you? I thought you already knew, Jai. During that one stretch - I learned something. Italians really do it better. Speaking of which - I need to order that espresso machine and have it imported."

"I found fetish gear in the closet when I was on a mission and hiding out… you should have seen the face of the contact I was with, it was hilarious," Annie tried.

"Bet you were blushing like a schoolgirl," Jai snorted as he poured them shots.

"I walked into a safe house that I had to share with my contact once. He got there first, and he walked around in nothing but a towel most of the time. The guy was an ass. Charming, but still a snake underneath. I couldn't wait to finish the exchange and get back to my regular detail," Bella shared.

"But did you know that that gear is great for repelling down an elevator shaft?" Annie grinned. "That was such a rush."

Bella's hand at the back of Auggie's shoulder slid up his neck and squeezed lightly at her words. "I'm sure it was. At least you got out without incident, right?"

"Shots," Auggie said. "I heard someone pour. Hit me," he said, quickly changing the subject and holding out his hand for someone to place a glass in it.


	4. Chapter 4

They were at the tavern way past their bedtime and when the following morning his alarm clock started to scream the time, he wanted to throw it away. His head hurt and Bella was still half on top of him. "Hey, if you haven't noticed, the alarm clock is screaming at us. We need to get up," he said, gently drumming on her back with his finger tips.

"My car was stolen by a panda bear," she mumbled, wrapping herself around him tighter, her leg burying between his. "You try feeding me cotton?"

"You need to wake up," he groaned as he managed to roll the both of them over. "Come on, Bella. You need to be at work too."

Landing in a bright stream of sunlight, she grimaced as she covered her face. Moaning in protest, she pushed on his shoulders. "Fine, fine. Remind me to never to get tequila again on a school night," she mumbled as she laid there for a moment before slowly, and painfully sitting up.

"Noted," he grinned as he got off the bed and turned off his alarm clock. "You can ride into work with me," he said as he started to move through the apartment, going to the kitchen first to start the coffee.

"Coffee," she mumbled incoherently before leaving the bed to start getting ready, reluctantly. "Bathroom."

"All yours," he snorted, he could only imagine her looking hungover like hell, her hair all wild from the turning she did for most of the night and looking dishevelled as she shuffled towards the bathroom. Luckily he had moved some of his things into the kitchen so he could freshen up there. He switched on the coffee maker and moved to the sink to find his toothbrush and toothpaste and started to brush his teeth.

It took Bella only about twenty minutes to make herself work appropriate, but she had no desire to go above and beyond any level of effort that morning in her appearance. Making her way into the kitchen, she made a beeline for the coffee pot in hopes that it would be ready. "Bathroom is free now," she announced quietly, still tired from their night.

She was anxious for the coffee and didn't want to wait, sliding a cup underneath the drip while she poured some from the pot into another for herself and Auggie before swapping the pot back under. "You take yours black? Right?"

"Just a little bit of sugar," he said as he stood in his closet, feeling around on the clothing labels to make sure he wouldn't look like a clown at work.

Mixing it for him, she brought it over to him, brushing her hand over the back of his arm. "You look like you need this almost as much as I do," she smiled as she handed him the mug carefully so that he could take the much needed sip. "Want me to pick something for you while you finish there?"

Taking a sip of the coffee before carefully placing it on the nearest shelf, he smiled. "I'm good, thanks."

"No problem," she yawned before moving away, tempted to crawl back into bed and saying _Fuck it_ with work. Pulling herself up on the stool in the kitchen, she called over to him. "How pissed do you think Joan would be if I called out for us?"

"Very," he replied as he picked out a light blue shirt for comfort and ease, not bothering too much in figuring out what to wear. "Although we could blame it on the Chinese food, but since we're not the only ones who have drunk our asses off…"

"Oh no. Jai and Blondie are on their own for their excuses."

"No, it's kinda obvious if we call out and they don't. Or if they call out at the same time. We're going to be the good little soldiers and go to work."

Bella pouted in thought then smiled as she turned to watch him. "You know it would only feed Blondie's twisted little mind if we did. She'd be wondering what we were doing. She's convinced we're together still."

"Fine, you call out, I'm going to work. I'm not going to protect you from Joan." He found the mug of coffee and took another sip as he made his way back.

"I'm not calling out. You're no fun today," she rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm merely looking out for you," he smiled widely as he set the mug on the counter. "It's your first real day and all."

She looked over at him confused and suspicious at his ability to see.

"Your tone of voice and then that tiny little sigh at the end of the sentence is what tipped me off about your eye rolling. That, and I know you and you don't like it when I'm right," he explained with a grin on his face.

"You don't have to be so smug about it," she frowned before reaching over and pinching his belly, hard.

"Oh, I'm smug," he laughed as he pushed her arm a little. "How about you can kick my ass in the gym after lunch as a punishment for me being so smug?"

"Sounds like a deal. I need more coffee and depending on how much Mom has waiting for us, I might be annoying you in your office all morning. I actually don't have a desk of my own yet so you get my charming company that much longer," she smirked as she brushed against him on her way to the coffee pot to fill her tumbler to go.

"You know, you're not good at making things sound like a threat. That sounded like fun to me," he smiled as he finished his coffee and then went about to gather his things.

"Just wait Auggie. Just wait," she replied in a sing-song voice. "You want one to-go? Or are you almost ready?"

"No, I'm good. Annie brings me coffee every morning," he replied and sighed. "I can't find my keys, where did I put them last night?" Sometimes getting drunk off your ass was good, but most of the time, he misplaced his own things.

"Um…" Bella responded, scratching her head. "I don't exactly remember getting home." She started looking around for them, everywhere she would think he might have put them. "Any ideas where two drunk idiots would have tossed them?"

"Well, if you don't remember and I don't remember…" he turned around and leaned against the chest. "Uhh… it's likely you took the keys from me. Check your purse."

"Why would I do that? It's not like you could drink and drive," she replied as she went to dig in her bag. Blinking, she paused as she pulled out the keys, but also a strip of condoms that she knew came from Jai's present. "I'm going to fucking kill that bastard. Oh - I need to think of something and it's going to be _huge_."

"What? What did he do? And who's he?"

"Jai." Without the ability to say another word about what he did, she took his hand and put the condoms it. "You ready to leave?"

"Oh yeah," he said, putting the condoms on the dresser and as he folded out his cane, his mind already racing with countless possibilities. Maybe get him a subscription on Playboy or something. Order him pizza while he hasn't ordered. Or something bigger that he hadn't ordered. Maybe… maybe it was better to leave it as it was, ignore it and see what happened. Auggie was the bigger person.

Bella was rattled by the surprise _gift_ , and smiled as Auggie made his way back to her. Wrapping her arm into his, slid her sunglasses on and let him lock the door before they headed down to wait for the shuttle as she thought about what might be waiting at the office. It would certainly prove to be a long day.

~o.O.o~

"Oh," Annie sounded slightly disappointed when he walked into work with Bella on his arm. The smell of coffee greeted him and he had to smile.

"Oh, what? She's staying with me, of course we ride into work together," he said playfully, letting go of Bella and had Annie guide him in further as she held on to the coffee.

Bella's eyes looked around behind her sunglasses that she'd yet to take off, her migraine growing that morning. "Where's Jai? I have a hot latte to dump in his lap," she sighed as she fell into a chair and kicked her legs up onto the desk.

"Running late, that's what my guess is," Annie replied and set the coffee down on Auggie's desk. "You need to check your email, Auggie."

"Why do you sound as if you haven't had a lot of tequila?" Auggie questioned as he sat down in his chair and typed a few commands on his keyboard to open his mail.

The girl smiled at him and shook her head. "I've already had like four cups of coffee this morning. Plus my sister has a great recipe to cure hangovers. You both look like you've had hell of a night. Didn't you get any sleep?"

"Sleep yes. Slept like a log. I think. I can't remember," Auggie replied as he put his headphones on and had the computer recite his emails to him.

"Which is part of the reason that Jai is getting a hot drink in his lap," Bella said with a twisted smile that promised nothing good.

"Nothing else happened?"

"Annie," Auggie warned her with a pleasant smile on his face, but his tone said otherwise.

The brunette agent raised an eyebrow at the question, wondering if she was accusing the wrong friend. "Perhaps my suspicions are off. It may not have been Jai after all," she mused thoughtfully as she eyed the woman. "Auggie. You don't suppose Annie might be the guilty party. Do you?"

"I really don't care," he put down his headset and grabbed his laser cane from a drawer as he got up. "Excuse me, I need to take care of something."

"Have fun," Bella commented as she stared at Annie until he was out of earshot. "Were you the one to stick the condoms in my purse?"

"You guys were so drunk last night, I thought it would be a safety measure for the both of you. Who knows what could have happened?"

"One, we didn't have sex. Even that drunk, which wouldn't be the first time. Auggie and I are only friends. I don't know how many times we have to tell everyone. Two, don't ever, _ever_ , touch my things again. I don't think I need to explain the invasion you made there. The line you just crossed with me. Three. Why the hell does everyone keep going on about Auggie and I? You seemed rather cozy with Jai last night but I wasn't shoving you in his bed all night. Same with Auggie. You were acting like a jealous cheerleader yesterday here, now all of a sudden, you want me sleep with him? I'm getting whiplash here," Bella snapped, grateful for the semi-privacy that his office provided because if they were going to be forced to work together, they were going to have to hash out their problems, and fast.

Annie pursed her lips as she leaned against the desk and looked at Bella. "I only did it because I don't know you, but I do know Auggie. He's my responsibility as I'm his. I was looking out for _him_. Now, if he has a problem with that, he'll tell me that himself."

"He won't because he doesn't want to hurt his friend. He won't try to get caught between you and I," Bella pointed out knowingly. "You think you know him, and you probably do. To a certain extent. However, you only know him for what? Four? Five months? I've known him for years. Auggie and Jai are my best friends. It's really a shame they don't get along, but what can I do about it?"

She was quiet for a moment and laughing shook her head. "I think we both have to agree that we're slightly territorial when it comes to Auggie."

"Perhaps. He makes you want to protect him, he's that lovable. But for me, it's more than that. I didn't know about his loss of eyesight until this year as he kept it from me because he didn't want to worry me while I was on my assignment. You want to talk territorial? Ask anyone that knows about our friendship, and see what they say. I don't think you can compare to what I would do when it comes to him," Bella warned evenly as she stood, taking her and Jai's coffee from the desk. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, you need to loosen up."

"And you need learn to play with others."

"You know, if you wanted this building to blow up, I think that a bomb would have been more effective," Auggie said as he walked into Joan's office. "Are they done talking yet?"

"No. Bella looks as if she's ready to throw her coffee at Annie however," Joan sighed in frustration. "How did last night go?"

"We were drunk, we all got along swimmingly," he said as he rubbed his temples. "Any chance we can be reimbursed for the alcohol we had?"

"Not a chance. Perhaps you can convince Arthur," she suggested with a smile.

"Eh, it was worth a shot," Auggie said with a shrug and then thought for a moment. "When was the last time Bella had a fitness test or an assessment for her combat skills?"

Joan turned to go around her desk to open the agent's file. "Overdue. Two years ago was the last time she was stateside. You think you're up for the task? She looked as if she's raring to take on the Hulk - and win."

He smirked. "I think that Annie would be perfect as a sparring partner. She might learn something."

"I thought you liked Annie. What did she do to upset you?"

"Oh, I like Annie and she didn't do anything, whatever is going on, it's between those two. Maybe having them duke it out in a safe, controlled, environment will help. I'll be there to referee, of course."

Joan was quiet as she eyed him for a moment before looking back over towards his office, where there was some gesturing in their direction. "Some friendly advice, Auggie," she started lightly. "Whatever is between them, I believe involves you."

"No kidding," he said with a huff. "They both act as if they have the sole claim on me."

"I don't know about Annie, but you know how I feel about Bella. Off the record - what exactly is going on between the two of you? I know she says you both are friends, but I can't help but wonder sometimes if it could be more…"

Sighing, he sat down on the nearest chair and fumbled with his laser cane. "The thought has crossed my mind. Ever since you sent her to find me… I don't know. It put things in perspective. Problem is though… the way I feel about her, and when I'm around her, is so different as my previous relationships. Tash… well, she grew into some sort of obsession or addiction and I'm still reeling from the experience from the last week. I've dealt with Helen but…"

Joan smiled as she pulled a chair beside him. "This is Bella we're talking about. Do you really think she'd let something like that change things? What would the harm be in giving it a try? You never know."

"I'd risk losing a great friend."

"Or you might realize that the one you'd been looking for has been there all that time. If you and Bella did give a relationship a try, I wouldn't object...just saying," she murmured nudging him in the shoulder with hers. "Think about it. It might even settle her anxiety around you with everyone as well."

He was surprised to hear this from her. "Thanks… I guess…" he said slowly and sighed. "You've given me a lot to think about."

"Now, if you do decide to have Bella go through her fitness test, leave Annie out of it before she gets a broken bone?" Joan said playfully as she opened the door.

On that cue, Auggie rose from the chair and headed out. "Will you pretend that this was your idea instead of mine?"

"Neither. She won't know. Just let her know she has her fitness evaluation today please," she said with a sigh as she saw Bella shove passed Annie, heading their way. "Or I'll just tell her now… Bella."

"I told you this was going to be a _bad_ idea," the agent sneered, struggling to keep her voice low. "I do not want to work with her."

"Tough," Joan said simply and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're going to have to."

"I make no promises that she'll survive in the field."

"That's okay, that's why Auggie's her handler and not you or Jai," she replied and then smiled. "You're needed in the gym for your fitness evaluation."

Bella's lips twitched as she glanced at Auggie before looking to Joan. "Do I get to borrow Blondie as my dummy?"

"The person evaluating you will be your dummy. Annie's not as proficient as you are in hand to hand combat. But I believe you'll be starting on the treadmill like anyone else."

"Then can I request Jai? I feel like breaking someone's balls."

He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. Auggie hadn't expected it to be a walk in the park, but he was going to bring his A-game if he wanted to survive her punches.

"Bella, you're in no position to request anything and Jai's called out."

"Chicken shit wimp. It was only tequila and Auggie and I had more than he did. I'm going to hunt his ass down and get him a _huge_ birthday present when the time comes," she muttered.

"Gym. Now." Joan laughed, shaking her head.

"Now? Can't it wait until after lunch? When I'm like - sober? And I don't have as much desire to kill someone? Have some mercy on my evaluator."

"Yes, please, have some mercy," Auggie said as he turned to face Joan.

"Is that what you're going to say to the bad guy when you're on a mission? 'Sorry man, I can't fight you right now because I'm tired and sick, but if you can wait until I'm feeling better, that would be swell!' You know that won't work. It's your own fault that you drank on a school night."

Auggie groaned as he walked off. "Thank god it's the weekend after today!" He was probably going to have to ice his balls all weekend.

Bella stood there as she blinked after him. "Auggie's evaluating me? Great. You do know I'm living with the guy right now, right? This is a really bad idea. Almost as bad as that team."

"Are you afraid he won't be as accurate in communicating his findings?"

"No. He would, but I don't want to beat the shit out of him!" she hissed. "I can't do that! I...I…"

"You what?" Joan mused as she walked into her office and motioned for Bella to follow. "Love him?"

Bella's eyes grew large and quickly looked around before she rushed inside and closed the door behind her. "Where the hell did you get a crazy idea like that? I'm getting tired of everyone asking if we're dating or not. It's not just since I got back either."

"It's not a crazy idea at all," Joan said, leaning against her desk. "In truth, if there were two other people behaving the way you and Auggie do when you're around each other, or not even around each other, you'd come to the same conclusion."

She stood there silently as she was unable to deny her reasoning. Staring back at her boss and mentor, she held out her arms in defeat. "Okay? So you believe that I'm in love with Auggie. It doesn't mean anything because we're not together. I do care, deeply, for him, but it's doubtful that he feels for me on the same level."

Joan blinked at that. "Have you two ever talked about this?"

"That everyone is crazy to think we're dating? Yeah."

"No, about your feelings for him?"

"No. Why would I?" she scoffed. "Like it would amount to anything. Besides, I have to go suffer through my eval and try not to beat up a blind man. I'll talk to you later. Maybe take you and Dad out to dinner during the week?"

"If we're not busy, sure," Joan smiled. "But aside from you changing the subject; talk to him about your feelings. Auggie's a great listener and fair, at that."

Bella rolled her eyes, heading out the door. "I'll think about it, Mom."

~o.O.o ~

Bella walked into the gym, biting her lip as Joan's words continued to echo in her thoughts. As much as she didn't want to think about them, she suddenly found them difficult to push away. Setting her water bottles and towel down on the bench, she let out a sigh when she found the room empty. At least there wouldn't be an audience like usual.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Auggie said as he walked into the room and put his things down. "Threadmill? Run for a couple of miles? Or would you rather start with hitting a dummy?"

Lifting her head at his voice, she held her breath. "You're the boss," she breathed out, closing her eyes. "I'm likely to tire out quicker with the treadmill, so less likely to cause you some lasting damage," she said lightly, trying to keep things humorous after the confrontation with Joan upstairs.

"Ah!" Auggie grinned as he rubbed his hands together. "Don't want to beat up the blind guy, huh?" He walked over to her and held out his hand for her. "Come on, I'll allow you to beat me."

"More like I don't want to hand _Auggie_ his ass," she teased.

"Auggie is very much capable of protecting his ass, thank you very much," he pulled her to the mat. "It'll be fun."

" _It'll be fun_ ," she mocked as she moved to stand before him. Raising her eyes to look at him directly, she sighed, shaking her head as they took in every detail, wishing she hadn't. "You say that now."

He put his hands on her shoulders to see where she was and took a step back before taking a defensive stance. "Or would you rather have the playing field leveled?"

"You are rather at a disadvantage. Skill set aside," Bella acknowledged. "What do you have in mind?"

"Pretend I have eyes and can see you. Don't worry about me."

"I know you have eyes, but it's rather hard when I can tell you track me by sound," she replied, moving around the mat as she watched him cant his head slightly to follow her. She tapped his ear to point out the detail as proof.

"And this is a disadvantage, how?" He grabbed her arm before she could retract it and pulled her in close, taking her in a headlock and grinned.

Bella elbowed him in the gut, then up into the neck before stepping away quickly and pulled her sneakers off. Tossing them aside, she watched as he quickly got back up to his feet, trying to listen for her location.

"You know there are several ways that I can tell where you are," he said, pointing at the mat. He turned to her and struck out, but only to fall flat on his face when she stepped quickly stepped aside. He grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her down.

She wrapped her legs around his to lock them, twisting until her foot was in a precarious position. "Don't move Auggie. I'm not going to go buy you ice if you do."

He grabbed her foot and tickled it before pulling off her sock and tossed it aside. With her distracted for a moment, he managed to get away from her and got back to his feet. "Is that the best you can do?"

Bella yanked her other sock off as she glared at him. She hadn't gone hand to hand with him in over two years and had to think of something else. All of her frustration was coming to the surface as she attempted to observe him as an opponent.

"If you're not going to make a move soon, I'm going to switch off the lights and put a blindfold on you."

"Into BDSM now, are you? I wouldn't have guessed."

"If it levels the playing field, sure," he grinned and caught her fist as it swung at him. "That was sloppy."

Bella let out a sigh, knowing how much it was, but said nothing to deny it. Her knee came up to his side, her other arm wrapping around his neck.

He grabbed her by her shirt and twisted out of her hold as he threw her over his shoulder and landed her gently on the mat. "Bella, I'm not fragile. I'm not going to make this easy on you by calling in someone who can see you," he said as he kneeled down and held her down by placing a hand on her chest.

She swallowed as she laid there, blinking up at him. "Are you sure?" she asked softly.

"Two days ago, I kicked the asses of two people on a moving train and they got a few proper hits in as well. I'm still here."

Nodding, she deliberated the thought for a minute. "Alright," she agreed eventually. Without warning, she threw her legs up and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down to the side awkwardly. As his legs came up, she twisted them together and pushed them back until he was on his stomach. Reaching for the closest flailing arm, she pulled at it, she folded his hand back painfully, grimacing, hoping he would call it off or break her hold quickly.

He rolled into her instead of away, pushing her aside and releasing the hold she had on his hand and used their twisted legs as leverage to put her on her back. With the release of the legs, he climbed on top of her and straddled her waist as he looked for her arms to pin down. When she shifted, he lost his balance a little and had to hold himself up incase his head would fall on top of hers. She was so close, he could feel her breath on his skin. Grabbing her by her shirt, he started to pull her back, hoping to roll her over him, away, but she did a good job in fighting it.

Bella smiled to herself as she suddenly stopped fighting and slid her hands up his torso to his shoulders. Her legs came up to rest on either side of his waist, hugging him, and she let out a sigh. "Auggie? I prefer being on top..."

Her hand gripped on one shoulder, nails digging in and pulling down while the other pushed up. Her thighs mimicked the same motion as her body followed in the movement to push him off as she rolled them over until she was on top.

He let out a snort as he took a deep breath. "I know you do, you need to win everything," he smirked, wondering where that came from. She was so close, and it surprised him how good it felt. "Hop on the treadmill, we'll continue this after half an hour of running."

She smiled as she patted him on the face. "Sure thing, buttercup." Climbing off him, she reached for his hand to help pull him up before making her way over for some water. Her eyes frequently found their way to him on their own, but she could feel her heart racing after the recent encounter. And it wasn't due to the workout.

Not knowing what else to say, she moved straight over to the treadmill to get started. Programming the machine for audio updates so that he was apprised of her progress, she only hoped it wouldn't give away too much of how he was affecting her as she hooked the monitors onto herself as she started.

He made his way over to his bag and grabbed a towel and a water bottle before finding something to sit on near Bella as she was running. They had sparred before. Wrestled before. Why did this feel different? "Tell me about your exercise regime while you were away," he said, wanting to hear her talk.

Bella thought about it for a moment and took a breath. "I ran mostly. Not a lot of gyms. Plenty of landscapes for nice views and fresh air. The last year has been quiet so a lot of cardio."

"I can hear that, you have a steady, confident pace," he took a sip of his water and fell quiet again as he listened to the sounds the machine was giving off. Her heart rate seemed off. "When was the last time you had a health check?"

"I went to the doctor in Italy about a couple months ago," she muttered as she glanced at him. "I'm fine."

"Okay, just asking," Auggie replied as he leaned against the wall. "When we were sparring, earlier… I kinda got the idea that you were bothered by my blindness."

"No," Bella answered easily as she continued running, staring forward. That was the probably the only issue she didn't have coming into the gym after her conversation with Joan. Only she wasn't about to broach that topic there, as her heart skipped at the thought.

"But you were hesitant to fight me, why? You've never done that."

She ran for probably another quarter mile before she answered his question. "I'd been given some things to think about that I hadn't considered before coming down here. I was distracted."

He blinked at that. "Since when do you allow yourself to be distracted by something?"

"It's been known to happen," she murmured, breathless, as she picked up her pace a little harder, almost as if she tried to run from him. A fruitless attempt on a treadmill.

"Would you like to talk about it? I mean, if you're going to be in the field with Annie, I'd rather have you on top of your game than distracted," he asked, knowing that he was pushing a button there, but her pace had changed, her heart was beating differently. "Or not here? Over dinner tonight, maybe?"

"Or not at all. Why does it have to be said?" Bella questioned as she stopped the machine, slamming on the controls and ripping the cords off her, growing irritated as she turned to face him. "What would it change?"

"I don't know. Peace of mind? Taken a load off? How certain can you be that whatever it is won't affect you in the field?"

"It hasn't before," she refused stubbornly, turning her head away from him.

"Okay, good," he said as he got to his feet and looked for her arm to take her back to the mat. "Then make it stop distracting you for this next bit," he said as he let go of her and found his bag to retrieve a scarf out of it. Auggie found her again and held up the scarf. "Blindfold yourself."

She took the scarf and held it skeptically. She knew where he was going with this and gave a weak laugh. "Back to the BDSM. You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask."

He hesitated for a moment before replying; "I'm sure that would be lovely but I merely want to take your eye sight away." He might be flying too close to the sun right now, but he didn't care.

"Yeah…" she sighed, lifting it to tie it around her head. "If I break my neck, you're telling Mom."

"I'll be gentle," he smirked. "Are you done?"

"You tell me. I thought we're supposed to be even now."

He reached out for her and carefully used her arm to lead the way to her head so he could be sure that the scarf was around her eyes. He could feel her shiver as his hand travelled upwards. "Seems secure," Auggie muttered as he took a step back. "Okay. Find me."

She stood there for a moment, trying to think back and draw on her early training that was mediocre at best. Remaining still, she gave herself time for her other senses to catch up to the restriction of her eyesight and waited for him to give any hint to where he might be. A slight sound and shift in the mat, she turned to her left, reaching out with a quick jab, immediately finding herself off balance. "Shit…"

He managed to grab a hold of her before she fell, but she stumbled into him, causing him to fall down with her on top of him. "Good job," he laughed as he held on to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. A bit unsettling," she said as she remained still until everything was still again. "Again."

He helped her to get off of him and got to his feet before pulling her back up. After making sure she was steady on her feet, he took a few steps back. "Alright. Find me."

Bella rolled her neck as she held her hands out, taking slow, careful steps, listening to any sounds in the gym. When she made her way closer, she debated on her approach, reaching out slowly. Her fingers grazed his shirt and grinned, grasping the material before holding on tightly, twisting until she could get her arm and leg locked around him.

He swallowed hard. There was something about her touch now that she was temporarily hampered in her vision and it unnerved him. He wasn't quite sure if that was in a good way or a bad way. "Nicely done, you found me. You think you can get my ass on the floor?"

She let out a growl as one hand moved to his ribs and her fingers dug between the bones and one of her feet wound behind his knee to press against it to force it to bend forward. Perhaps not to his ass yet, but she'd start with him kneeling.

He tried to resist her for as long as possible, but she really had strong legs and she had him tightly and he had no choice but to have his body follow her direction. As he did, he put an arm around her and started to pull her down with him, hoping to get her off balance too. All it did was for her to hold him even tighter, pushing her warm body against his and he really had to focus on what he was doing. Auggie did not want his heart to take over his head. Not here. "At least someone around here remembers the things I try to teach them," he said jokingly.

Bella lowered her head slightly, her mouth near his ear, though she couldn't quite see as she let out a low chuckle. Bending herself back, while she maintained her hold, she attempted to lean their weight back so that they would fall to the mat.

There was only so much pushing back that he could do in their position and decided to give up, causing himself to slam into the mat by force. "Congratulations," he breathed. "You passed."

Laying there, tired and out of breath, she found herself unable to move as she nodded. "I had a great teacher," she said as she patted him on the chest… at least she believed it to be his chest from their positions.

"Uhuh," he smiled as his hand was on her lower back now. He reached for her head with his other hand and tugged on her blindfold. "We definitely need to talk when we get home." The words were out of his mouth before he knew it. He was far too comfortable on the mat lying like this, even though her legs were still entangled with his.

He was going to curse Joan for ruining sharing a bed with Bella. There was no way he was going to survive the cuddle monster at night now.

She let out a long suffering sigh as she reached for his hand. "What about, Auggie? If this is about what happened earlier with Walker, I'll deal with my issues with her and do what I have to, to get the missions completed. I just can't promise to be her friend."

"Not about her," he removed her blindfold and gently brushed her hair out of her face. "But I don't want to discuss this within CIA walls. Work and private should be separated."

Bella wasn't sure what to think at his words as she sat up to look at him, her mind racing over the implications. "Should I be worried?"

"Worried? Ha! I'd be absolutely terrified. Oh wait, I am," he got to his feet and helped her up.

"Auggie…" she frowned at him.

"Don't worry, okay? Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

"Yeah well, you tell someone that you need to talk to them, it gets them concerned. Now I'm wondering if I'm going to have to find somewhere else to stay after this talk," she muttered.

"No, forget it. I shouldn't have said anything," he said as he walked over to his bag, nearly tripping over it, before lifting it up. "I'm going to hit the showers. See you at lunch."

Bella sighed as she followed him before he could escape, grabbing his arm. "No. Tell me how you would take that coming from my perspective," she whispered gently. "Just assure me it isn't you wanting me out and we'll be fine. Okay?"

He thought for a moment, trying to pace his thoughts. "If it was up to me, you'd never leave me again," he said, flashing a smile and continued his way to the showers. Now he was scared that he was going to scare her off. As if he was some sort of stalker, or a clingy friend. Ruin their friendship. But he had to take the chance. Otherwise he wasn't ever going to sleep again. At least not in his own bed.


	5. Chapter 5

After Auggie had given her his answer and hint to their conversation, Bella had spent the rest of the day in a daze. She was lucky that Joan had managed to postpone her polygraph for the following week as her recent physical would have thrown it off.

Finally given a desk, she had a place to park her rear until the end of the day as she awaited a new cover locally. She was more often than not, staring off into space, wondering how the conversation would go. If she should bring up what she and Joan had discussed. Never before had she been so unnerved by someone who had given her the most confidence.

"Coffee?" Annie asked as she held out a cup. "I asked Auggie what your preference is so it should be alright."

Bella drew in a breath as she was startled out of her thoughts, raising an eyebrow for a moment before giving her a tense smile and nod. "Sure, thanks," she said, scratching behind her ear as she glanced towards Auggie's office as he sat typing at his computer with his headphones on. She turned back and reached for the cup, always missing her Italian brew, finding hard to readjust to the lesser qualities. "Thank you," she repeated.

"There are some great Italian restaurants around here," Annie said as she leaned against Bella's desk. "Run by real Italians, you know, should you ever get homesick to Italy."

"Not really homesick. It's just the coffee that was so much better there. The quality just doesn't compare. This is really my home here," she answered, again, glancing towards a particular office before shaking her head and turning her chair around and rolling her neck. "The food was good too, once you got over the culture shock of what you knew of Italian food through the American standard. Living the life there, eventually, you become a part of it."

"Still… nothing beats the Italian pizza from New York. Call me a pizza butcher or whatever, but I didn't really like the pizza there," Annie snorted as she took a sip of her coffee. "The pasta, however…"

Bella smiled and shrugged. "It's their water."

Annie was quiet for a moment and then grinned. "My sister wants to start her own catering business. What if I convince her to start a coffee shop instead? With real Italian beans and shit? Think that it would take off?"

"Depends on the location. The market is rough and you'd have to look into the cost of importing the materials and right machinery. It's not just the beans but the equipment and location."

"I know, but it would give Danielle something to do, the research and what not, instead of being suspicious of my whereabouts. I swear, one of these days she's going to show up at the Smithsonian and demand to see me while I'm half across the world."

Bella shrugged as she sipped at her cup. "So, bring her in there for a tour. Or bring her in there for a lunch date. Have Auggie set it up. You have your ID with them already, right? Show her your work on _your_ terms, rather than letting her ambush you. She will be less suspicious of you. It wouldn't be the first time it's been done."

"Have you done it?"

"Sure. Whenever my father decides to come into town. Previously I've used the Smithsonian as my cover as an Historian with the museum. Do it on your terms, Walker, before everyone has to scramble to cover for you."

"Thanks, that's a great idea," she replied and sighed. "It's frustrating though, to have a cover. It's like… you're living three lives at the same time."

"Then read your sister in."

"I might. I don't know. She'll probably get mad at me for having lied to her."

Bella leaned on her desk and rolled her eyes. "Probably. And if she loves you, she'll get over it. It's your job and a requirement to keep secrets. You did what you had to and worked to get permission to tell her so that you could give her _something._ You can't tell her everything, obviously but if it's bothering you that much, then get her read in."

"Thanks again," Annie smiled as she pushed herself off Bella's desk and nodded towards Auggie. "He's getting ready to get home. Didn't you come into work together?"

"Yeah…" she drew out, suddenly unsure as she looked over her shoulder. "We did."

Annie noticed the change of posture of Bella and decided to ignore it. "Have fun, you two. Enjoy the weekend and pray for no calls."

She glared at the blond as she made her escape and stood from her seat slowly. "I tried to be nice, and that is what I get…" she muttered.

Auggie put on his jacket and strapped his bag to him before switching his laser cane for the good old fashioned one. Why was he nervous? He had no reason to feel this nervous. He was simply going to cook dinner - no, he was too nervous for that. Ordering in would be a better idea. And he and Bella were going to have a talk. Where he'd likely do most of the talking and hope that she wouldn't slap him or worse.

No need to be nervous. Not at all. It was just that their friendship was at stake. No biggie.

Taking a deep breath, he left his office and managed to find Bella's desk with ease. Even Joan had been kind and had put her right in the path of his office. "So, please tell me that I'm standing in front of Bella's desk and that Bella's actually right here."

"No, Bella ran away with that hot vampire hybrid from the teenage TV show on the CW," she smiled back at him. "You wouldn't know anything about it."

"I have my guilty pleasures, but you're right. I don't know anything about it," he grinned as he reached out to her. "I'll just have to make do with you then."

"Aren't I lucky? Bella missed out. Shame on her," she mused, her lips twitching at the corners as she hooked her arm around his. "All set?"

"Of course," he smirked and started to walk towards the exit of the bullpen with her. He didn't mind walking with her like this. It was familiar, it was something they had done many times before and hell, he felt proud having a gorgeous woman on his arm. But if she was going to stick around, he needed to teach her the things that he had taught Annie. "Just curious, would you like me to teach you a few things here and there when it comes to getting my attention or leading me through traffic?"

Bella frowned as she looked up at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," he smiled as he managed to open the door for them. "You can't do anything wrong with me, you know that."

"I hear a but coming…"

"Who farted?" He snickered and hoped that the door wouldn't hit him or her on the way out. "But… while I'm extremely comfortable walking like this with you in a situation that I know, walking arm in arm like this when we're in a busy street for example can get tricky. We're a bit clumsy right now."

She paused as she looked at themselves and considered his explanation, feeling bad for her gestures that she'd always done with him before. "I hadn't realized... I didn't know…"

"That's okay, I am not angry with you," he smiled at her. "This situation is entirely different from you rescuing me like the last time or me being a seeing person and I love walking arm in arm with you. It just makes things like making it through the door a bit tricky as I can't see the door." He let go of her and gently brushed his hand against hers. "If you do that, you're letting me know where you are," he said softly before gently running the back of his hand up her arm and held her just above the elbow. "And now, we can maneuver like we're sort of like a mini train because it's easier to take a step back or in front. You can actually make sure the door doesn't hit us both."

Bella stood there for a moment, staring down at where he had caused a shiver to run through her by his touch. Looking up, she swallowed and placed her hand over his and smiled. "Of course I got the door. I've got eyes in the front and back of my head. You didn't know that?"

He kissed the top of her head before looping his arm through hers again. "Just don't leave me outside a strange place like Annie's done once or twice," he laughed as he continued to walk with her towards the exit.

"What kind of strange place? I think you might enjoy coming inside depending on the adventure."

"It was outside the morgue. She forgot me when she managed to open the door. Then told me to get on a gurney and forgot my shoes. We got arrested and I wasn't wearing any shoes!"

She was not able to keep from laughing. "Oh yes. That is just your type of adventure. Let me guess. You told the cops that seeing the bodies turned you on? Sounds like fun," she said suggestively.

"The Fed was a sightist," he muttered as they kept walking. "At least they were decent enough to find me my shoes."

"You must have annoyed the hell out of him. I haven't had the opportunity to annoy any Feds lately. Just some Mossad, Interpol, and other CIA," she pouted.

"Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me, please continue," he mused as they made it through security and headed outside.

Bella smiled, squinting at the afternoon sun. "Fresh air. Do you want to take the shuttle back or taxi to dinner instead? Depending on exactly where you prefer to have that talk of course," she hesitated, trying to keep her voice steady but cheerful.

"I was thinking at home and take out. Maybe a good bottle of wine or a few bottles of beer to wash it down with. Some good tunes…"

"Alcohol and music," she said thoughtfully as she turned towards the shuttle stop. "Are we talking the white wine or red? Blues or Metallica?" she asked, testing for how the night could possibly go.

"Jazz and white wine. Let's keep the blood shed away for now. Unless you want to kill me after or during our talk. Then maybe red wine."

She raised an eyebrow and her hand reflexively tightened on his. "That sounds just a bit ominous when you put it like that. What makes you think I'd want to kill you? Anyway - we had Chinese last night, and I've been eating Italian for two years. Does that steakhouse on Lexington still deliver?"

"Sure," he smiled. "Or, we could go to the supermarket and grab a few steaks there. We could chuck some fries in the oven and eat within 30 minutes."

Bella considered it and nodded. "I can make a run when we get there, stock up while I'm at it. I don't mind cooking and it would give us some time each to settle I think. Mentally prepare for this _talk_ that you want."

"Great idea. Although you shouldn't be nervous about the talk. I'm sure that whatever I have to say is not that important and you'll think that I'm an idiot."

Stopping and looking around to make sure that no one is too close, she reached up to pull his face towards her. Even knowing that he couldn't fully _see_ her, she knew he would understand the gesture. "Auggie, no matter what you have to say, I would never think you an idiot. I'm still working to wrap my head around this because I'm confused by what you want to share until I hear it, but also by what _I'm_ feeling. Okay?"

"Got it."

~o.O.o~

Bella got lost in her headspace as she stood in the kitchen cooking their dinner. Their steaks in the broiler, vegetables on the stove and potatoes in the oven. She could hear him across the apartment searching for the music he wanted, not sure exactly what was going on. Ever since their time in the gym, each encounter felt like a strange new level of awkward after his announcement for a need to talk.

Soon, pleasant music filled the air and she couldn't help but to smile. Her smile turned to a confused frown as she recalled an old conversation about his choice of music and albums. It sounded something like - _date music?_ She knew his taste of music had shifted over the years, as they spoke over the phone and email, as he had shared, but this was one of his M.O.'s that she was aware of when it came to trying to woo a girl.

She finished with dinner, plating the steak and opting for red potatoes with olive oil and rosemary and lightly boiled sugar snap peas before setting the table. Filling their wine glasses, she stood looking everything over as she deliberated on calling for him or stalling longer.

She was going to look straight through him, wasn't she? He'd never been shy in telling her his ways of trying to get a mood going and this was one that he had shared more often than not. But, when nervous, stick to what you know. It was going to be completely different anyway because normally, it wouldn't scare him so much. But this time… he was terrified.

Which was stupid. They were both adults and not in high school.

He had an inkling that food was done, but gave her some more time to do whatever she was doing. She must feel equally terrified because she didn't know what he wanted to talk to her about. Auggie was happy that they'd already established that she wouldn't have to leave his apartment. Whatever happened tonight, she was going to stay. Even if it meant for him to eternally sleep on the couch.

"Dinner's ready," Bella called out eventually. Enough time had been wasted and food would grow cold. She swallowed back a generous gulp of her wine before refilling the glass as she waited for him to join her in the room.

"Smells good!" He said cheerfully as he approached the counter and found his seat.

"Thank you," she smiled as she set his wineglass next to his hand. "Kept it simple. Steak, potatoes, and snap peas. Figured if things do go south as you fear, it's easy to reheat and not as much will go to waste."

He let out a snort and gingerly felt around for his plate, circling the brim to identify each position of his food. "You're always so practical, I love it," he moved his other hand to find his glass and took a sip of his wine. "Joan said something to me today that made me think. Re-evaluate things. The choices I made, my behaviour."

Bella looked up as she had just taken a bite and chewed slowly, frozen at his words. After she swallowed, she twisted her fork in her hand. "Joan? Huh. She must have been trying out for the role of Dr. Phil today with both of us I guess," she muttered. "What did she have to say?"

"Something I would never have expected, coming from her," he said with a slight chuckle as he managed to hook some peas to his fork and put it in his mouth. "I don't know, it took me a little by surprise," he said after swallowing his bite. "I had to think about it, but I realized that there's not much to think about. It's like… she's given me clarity, just like that."

"She did?" she asked, gently setting her fork down and reaching for her glass as she thought about her own encounter. "Clarity can be one mean son of a bitch when it slaps you in the face. It certainly sucker punched me today. Especially after my visit with her."

"There's a problem with this newfound clarity though, isn't there?" He asked as he took another sip of his wine. "I mean, when I think about it, I've been a complete asshole and so stupid."

Not following his train of thought, Bella narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What problem do you mean?"

Sighing, he put his fork down and looked in her direction as he leaned against the counter. "This clarity made me see that I've been looking for substitutes because I was afraid of losing someone very important in my life and I've been waving those substitutes in your face. I'm such a jerk."

Hearing him, his words made what he had said earlier very true. She was terrified now. But not the way he might had thought. She hadn't anticipated what he wanted to discuss to be something of this nature. "Auggie…" Bella started, her mouth suddenly dry and finding herself at a loss as her heart pounded in her chest. "I, um, wow… Uh… I think I would need to start by saying you're not a jerk…"

"I'm not?" He said surprised. He thought he was. If not to her, then he had been unfair with everyone else.

"No. Remember today when you said I would think you would be an idiot for what you would have to say?" She asked carefully.

"Yes."

Bella eyed him as she was cautious as she used similar words. "What if, after my visit with Joan, I had a similar epiphany and thought you might think I was an idiot if I had suggested a discussion so I refused?" She said, her voice all but a whisper as she looked at him and waited.

He cocked his head in confusion as he considered her words. "I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"I didn't know I felt that way if it makes you feel any better," she shrugged, reaching for her wine again.

"Me neither," he replied and mirrored her movement without knowing it. "Now what do we do? Are we going to give it a try and see what happens?"

Her breath drew in at the thought. "Is that what you want?" Bella questioned, almost breathless as her fingers gripped the glass.

He could hear the anticipation and fear in her voice, mirroring his own feelings. He let go of his glass and gently placed his hand on her arm. "What I want, is not to lose you. I meant what I said; I don't want you to leave me ever again."

"I don't want to lose you either. I - I…"

Running his hand up her arm, to her neck, to cup her face, he made the decision there and then. He was going to kiss her. Fuck it. He needed to kiss her. When their lips finally met - for real this time, they had kissed before under false pretenses, he could feel his heart skip a beat.

She froze momentarily, even as she saw it coming. Wanting it to happen. Still she melted into him quickly, her hand creeping up his chest, to his neck, and up into his hair. Leaning into him, her mouth opened for a gasp of air, and to welcome in more. Her body slid from her seat to stand before him of its' own volition, moving on its own pure desire for this man.

Making the kiss grow, he pulled her in even closer as the familiarity of it all made this feel so comfortable. It was a familiar feeling, but not. This was different. This was real and he loved feeling her body press against his, her hands keeping him where he was.

As Bella drew in another breath, she caught his lip between her teeth lightly and playfully pulled him towards her as she dropped her hands to his chest, before claiming his mouth again with just as much hunger and desire as before. Leaning back, she broke the kiss briefly slightly but stayed just close enough that she could feel his warm breath pass on her lips.

He lifted her up and waited for her to wrap her legs around his waist and kissed her, hard, as he carefully carried her out of the kitchen towards the bed. Auggie carefully maneuvered the steps leading up to his bed and slowed down a little to find it. When the edge of the bed hit his shin, he made a quick calculation in assessing where they were and flopped the both of them on the bed. "How did I do?" he grinned as he leaned on his hands over her.

She laughed as she relaxed under him, having had been more occupied by his mouth than by their location until their falling when she held tighter to him. "I'd say you did great," she replied, her hands sliding up his arms to his shoulders to pull him back down as she bit her lip. There was a double meaning there, she was sure. But there in the bed, was a new test to their relationship. A new road they were about to take and her heart was racing with anticipation and trepidation. If the last few minutes were any indication, she didn't want to turn back.

"Awesome, it would be highly embarrassing if we're about to fall off the bed," he grinned and felt around with his hand, touching her hair, her neck, before kissing her again as his hand explored her body over her clothes. When he reached the hem of her shirt, he tugged it so it came loose and he could touch the skin underneath.

Following his cue, she grinned against their kiss and reached over his shoulder to grab a handful of his shirt after unbuttoning the top buttons at his collar one handed. Pulling the fabric over his head, she wasn't about to struggle and take the time to stop and fight longer than she had to so that she could resume just as quickly.

The moment she had his upper body bare to her, she took the opportunity to savor it and run her hands over him with a smile. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him, nor touched him. But it was where she did so without restriction and so freely in such a manner.

While she was pulling off his shirt, he had taken the opportunity to help her out of hers, but he hadn't expected the impact it would have when she'd touch his chest. Things were different. Things were changing, and to him, it was all for the better. Auggie moved his fingertips over her torso as he kissed her neck, trying to shift a little to make sure not to fall over.

Bella gasped out, her hand coming up to bury in his messy hair as her eyes looked around in a daze. Her legs tightened around him with each passing sweep of his touch and her body grew enflamed more and more. Her legs wrapped around the back of his, her feet sliding up his thighs as they sought for more contact with him, every inch of her physical with him.

His breath hitched for a moment when he reached the hem of her skirt, feeling around, he could tell that it was all scrunched up and then the biggest grin appeared on his face. He hadn't realized she had been wearing a skirt. Or maybe it had registered but he had forgotten about it. Squeezing her inner thigh to tease her, he moved his hand back up and looked for a zipper.

"Auggie?" Bella whispered as her hands slipped up his chest, teasingly until they rested on his shoulders.

He sighed as he put his head against her shoulder. "There's no zipper, is there?"

"Oh, no. There is a zipper," she said as she smirked at the face he made, drawing her bottom lip in. "But do you recall today, in the gym?"

He thought for a moment and then laughed. "You like to be on top."

Before he had the chance to form a conscious thought, Bella had him underneath her, his shoulder pinned as she grinned down at him and straddling his waist tightly. "And the zipper is in the back," she murmured lightly, shrugging a shoulder as she shifted her weight over him.

With one arm free to move, still, he lifted it to brush his fingers over her side, finding their way to her back and found the zipper. He smiled victoriously when he pulled it down. "Tadaa."

"Well, at least it's just a skirt," she mumbled as she looked down at them, not really wanting to lose any contact with him but needing to get him more on the same level of undress as she was. "Your turn…" she said with a grunt as she began to scoot back so that she could pull at his sweats he had changed into while she was out earlier. While she was up, she quickly shed her skirt and stockings as her eyes flickered up to Auggie and drank him in. She was still almost in shock and giddy that this was actually going to happen.

"Come back," he said with a big smile on his face, lazily reaching out for her. "I'm not done with you yet."

"I'm far from done with you," Bella replied as she crawled back onto the bed, reaching for his hand and leaning in to kiss him.

He pulled her back into his arms as they kissed and rolled the both of them back over. The feeling of her naked skin against his was simply glorious. He broke off the kiss and started to kiss her neck again, but this time he strayed and kissed his way down her body as he fondled one of her breasts. He liked her breasts. Not too big, not to small and oh so soft.

Her hands came up to explore the planes of his back, over his shoulders. Her fingers wove themselves in his hair as her breathing grew heavy, holding him to her, encouraging every motion he chose to take. She wasn't inexperienced to lovemaking, but it had been some time for her since she'd been with a partner last. Still, the sensations he'd stirred up within her were incomparable and she found herself having difficulty remaining still as she writhed beneath him.

Auggie placed a kiss on her stomach and kept his lips there as he let out a chuckle. This was the most fun he had in awhile, it felt different. Genuine. Her body was radiating heat and it kept arching into him or trying to burrow into the mattress and he loved it. She nearly kneed him in the face when he placed his hand over her panties, over her heat, to tease. "Fuck, you're soaking wet," he said breathlessly as he kissed his way up to her, keeping his hand where it was.

"I'm sure," she answered, licking her lips as her mouth felt dry looking at him. She closed her legs around his hand, seeking more friction that her body had craved and closed her eyes. "I had felt you too. You felt like you were ready to burst yourself, hotstuff."

"Tease," he muttered against the vein in her neck as he moved his fingers inside her panty and ran one of them over her lips, causing her to moan loudly. Grinning, he repeated the movement.

"Who's the tease now?" Bella groaned out her complaint, reaching up to pull him down to her mouth for a kiss.

He hummed a response as he shifted to be beside her and removed his hand from her heat. He gently lifted her legs as they kissed, only to break off the kiss to move between her legs and remove her panties. As her legs were still in the air, he kissed the inside of her knee before releasing them and found her face again to resume the kiss. His fingers gingerly touched the inside of her thigh, finding her core again and slipped a finger inside of her.

Her breath hitched only slightly as he entered, and smiled as she ran her own fingertips over his face before wrapping her hand around the back of his neck. Her other hand continued to roam over his body everywhere it could possibly reach until it met the waistband of his shorts, causing her to grin against his mouth. Pushing them down as far as she could, she lifted her legs so that she could use her feet to help assist with the rest of the task.

Once he had helped Bella's feet in getting his boxers off, he inserted a second finger and pressed his thumb against her clit. Breaking off the kiss, he put his head against her shoulder and took a few deep breaths as he revelled in the little sounds she was making, and how her body responded to his touch.

"Auggie," she moaned as she arched into him, her fingers tightening and pulling on his hair. Her legs wound around his, twisting into familiar ties, keeping them unbearably close, as close as they could without him being more inside her as he was, yet.

"Almost," he cooed as he pressed a third finger inside of her. "Wait for a little while longer."

Fighting a growl, her teeth pulled at his lip. Sharp and nearly cutting enough to draw blood but close. When she found her breath, her nails scratched lightly across his back. "How would you like it if I told you to wait? Hm?"

"Ah!" He laughed as he removed his fingers from her and briefly brushed her lips with his. "You want to be on top?"

"Not if you want to be right now," she smiled against him, her teeth grazing his jaw.

"We'll flip a coin next time. Or wrestle for it," he promised her as he kissed her. "But for now, you can be on top," he said as he scooped her up and rolled them back over.

Bella laughed as she held on, tucking her head his neck. Lifting it, she kept her face close to his, her hair dragging over his forehead. "Now that sounds like a really fun time to be had," she said, eager.

Leaning in to kiss him, she hovered over his mouth but pulled away as she slid down his body, dropping open mouthed kisses along the way until she was situated and seated over his hip bone, feeling his erection pressing against her rear. Biting her lip, she sat up and ran her fingers over his stomach before settling them behind her on his thighs as she stared at him.

"What?" He asked as he had his hands on her upper thighs, gently squeezing them as he rubbed his thumbs on the inside. "Second thoughts?"

"Nope. Just admiring," she answered playfully, taking a breath before sliding her hand further behind her to feel for his length. Gently and firmly, she stroked from behind, watching his face as she moved with her motions, waiting.

"Bella," he playfully warned her as he bucked his hips a little. Her hand felt so good around him. He was so eager to feel how she'd feel around him, how it'd feel when he was snug inside of her. Smiling at her, he moved one of his hands to her core, and rubbed her clit with his thumb.

"Don't like it when the tables are turned, do you?" She giggled as she shifted, leaning forward enough where she was able to position herself over him so that when she settled back, he started to ease into her slowly. Letting out a breath as that new level between them broke, Bella moaned as he soon filled her.

As she lowered herself on to him, his hand left her hot center and roamed over her body. She felt so good, he couldn't believe they hadn't done this before. "Oh, you feel so good around me," he let out a breath before raising his knees so she could use his legs as something to lean against and sat up a little as he gently pulled her face towards his, his hand buried in her long hair. "So good."

Bella kissed him as she sank further, rising and falling, her lips never leaving his lips. His skin. Never far if she could help it. Each time she was forced to part when she rose and flexed her hips over his, she claimed his mouth quickly, and hungrily.

When he was confident that she wouldn't be able to fall off of him, he moved his other hand between them as his breathing turned more ragged, shallow. He twisted his hips against hers on occasion as he mirrored her moves and kissed her neck, her collarbone and back to her neck as he helped her get to the edge faster. He wasn't going to last for much longer. Her scent was intoxicating. Her little noises and moans were deafening and music to his ears at the same time. Her lips were like a drug. And her hands… fuck… her hands… "Fuck…" he muttered against the vein in her neck.

Her mouth pressed a hot, wet kiss to his shoulder, at the base of his neck, as she let out a low growl. As he met her motions, she could feel herself coming around him, the knot that had been wound so tight through confused tension all day released in a single instance that felt like forever.

He pulled her down with him after coming inside of her. He didn't want to lose contact with her, with her skin, with everything, but he was also fully aware that the both of them needed to lay down, simply to cuddle and ride out their highs. "We should have done this years ago," he eventually managed to let out and laughed.

She lifted her head from his chest to look at him and laughed as well. "Mmm yes. But which exactly? Listening to everyone about getting together or just the sleeping part?" Bella teased.

"I don't know yet," he mused as he toyed with a strand of her hair. "The sleeping part… I think we've got that down perfectly."

"I think so too. Still early on the couple part. Jury is out," she murmured lightly. "You might end up hating me and demanding a refund."

"The jury's still out on that, indeed and I would never want a refund, why would I want that?" He smiled at her. "You're this pocket sized bag of fun that I want to keep in my life. Whatever happens, you're not leaving my apartment for someone else."

"Just your apartment Auggie?" Bella asked, looking for clarification as she moved to lean on her elbow.

"Or my bed… or me…" He kissed the top of her head.

"I think I can accept that," she replied as she looked around. "We made one hell of a mess with the bed…"

"So?"

"So...I was hoping you weren't planning on fixing it anytime soon," she said suggestively. "Or this weekend at all."

"I can live with that," he smiled widely. "I can definitely live with that."

Her eyes traced his face as her fingers begun to draw not so random paths over his chest as she thought about earlier that day, her feelings being declared before she even acknowledged them. "The only time we will leave the bed until work Monday will be for, hmm, bodily functions and sustenance…"

"Speaking of food," he said with a slight chuckle. "I'm famished. And then… maybe dessert? In bed?"

"Sounds like a delicious plan. Do we have any chocolate syrup?" She asked devilishly.


	6. Chapter 6

The bubble they'd been living in for the weekend had been so nice. So relaxing and comforting and exactly what they both had needed. Not only to get things out of their system, but also simply to recharge.

There had been take out meals and alcohol, sex and cuddling, more sex and cuddling. He had loved exploring her body with his fingertips while she was sleeping - or pretending to, it was a whole new way of knowing Bella. When she was awake, he loved finding more spots on her body that were sensitive to touch. He knew the obvious regions, but finding the intimate regions felt as if he was unwrapping a ferrero rocher chocolate and taking his time with eating it, savouring the scent, the taste.

So when Monday morning came around, he was reluctant to leave his bed, not wanting to leave the bubble even though he had to.

"So how do you want to deal with everyone? Let them know or maintain status quo?" Bella asked, coming out of the bathroom, disappointed about returning to work.

"Oh no, let's just keep this between us for now," he said as he rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. "They'll probably know anyway but this is between us."

She stepped closer to him and smirked, running her fingers up his side. "So we get to be one another's dirty little secret?"

He reached for her arm and pulled her closer. "You're pretty clean right now, though…"

"We weren't all weekend," she hinted. "I rather enjoyed it. I'm aiming for a repeat. And often."

"Definitely," he softly kissed her and let go of her. "Shuttle bus is here in half an hour, unless you want to take us in? Or would you rather get in on your own?" He turned on the shower for a quick one.

"Unless something comes up, I see no reason why I can't go with you. Everyone knows I'm staying here already," she replied as she watched him, a hungry smile on her lips. "If there was a meeting or something then I'd be happy to drive us."

After making sure that there was, indeed, still a towel at the usual spot, he stepped underneath the shower. He could tell that she was watching him, even underneath the water and shook his head when he grabbed the shampoo. No, it wasn't his shampoo. It was a different bottle - he was so lucky that he recognized his own bottles because he didn't fancy smelling like anything but pine. Switching the bottles, he squirted some in his hand and rubbed it into his hair. "I figured you'd say that, so I cancelled the pick up."

"Sneaky. When did you do that?" She grinned. "The only problem is that it can become complicated getting in on time eventually, if this progresses successfully."

"We'll just have to set the alarm clock a little bit earlier," he grinned as he rinsed the soap out of his hair.

Bella's brow lifted as she looked over her shoulder to the bed, recalling the last couple days. "Starting tomorrow?"

"Only if you're not away on some assignment. I like my sleep," he grinned as he finished washing himself and turned off the shower. He quickly dried himself off and went to gather his clothes.

"If they sent me away for an assignment so soon, I'd be pissed. Especially now. I don't want to go anywhere," she admitted as she followed him, waiting until he stopped at his closet to wrap her arms around him from behind. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she let out a sigh. "Leaving again would be all too soon."

"And I don't want you to go anywhere," he smiled as he got into his clothes before turning around and putting his arms around her. "Especially seeing as I'm going to show off my cooking skills tonight."

Bella hummed in pleasure as she pushed herself up to kiss him. "I look forward to it. Get dressed handsome. I'll go make you your coffee in the meanwhile before we find ourselves ridiculously late."

~o.O.o~

He hadn't been able but to overhear Annie's phone call. Was she really organising a field trip for 30 kids? Why? Was she insane? What if something came up and she'd be out of the country? He didn't shy away from telling her that she was a masochist, it was an accident waiting to happen.

So what if it would strengthen her cover towards her sister? So what if her niece asked her? Third graders were evil. Anything involving third graders was a complete and utter no. It was her duty to say no to anything. Everything, really. She had choices. She had options, she wasn't cornered.

"And you can say 'no' to anything coming out of Jai Wilcox' mouth!" He said as he put on his headphones to listen to his package.

"Except for the next two things," Jai's voice sounded. Oh, Auggie was so busted. Was Bella there too? "First, we need you in the conference room. You, Auggie, Bella."

"Okay," Annie said amused. "What's the second thing?"

"You can't say 'no' to Joan's next question."

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Bella grinned. He could hear that she was practically bouncing.

"Hey, how much coffee did you consume in the last hour?" Auggie questioned her as he held on to her while the four of them headed to the conference room.

"I had two espressos. Two."

"Uhuh." He nearly bumped into the door when they wanted to go through it with the three of them as Jai held back and felt Annie stop in the doorway.

"Annie, how would you like a trip to London?"

"Now that," Auggie spoke softly to Annie. "Would just be stupid to refuse." The words were out before he knew it. While he was very happy for Annie to go to Europe, it also meant that he had to do without Bella for as long as the op would run, and after their weekend together, he felt that this was more of a punishment.

"Are Jai and I going with Annie or are we here as a cheering squad?" Bella questioned, not exactly happy about a trip after sharing such a conversation with Auggie only hours before.

"You two are going to London too," Joan replied with a slow nod. "In case Annie needs backup and Jai will fill you in on your side mission when you're there."

"Side mission…" She deadpanned, swallowing as she fought the urge to move closer to Auggie. "Right. Fine. When do we leave?"

"Your flight leaves in three hours. Briefing in ten minutes."

Bella was not happy if her expression was anything to go by. Turning on her heel, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her as she headed for her desk to start packing her purse for when her meeting was over. There would be no time for much else as she had to also pack, struggling to keep her revolving emotions under control.

"What was that about?" Jai remarked as they exited the conference room so that Joan could prepare the briefing.

"She wanted to stay stateside for a bit longer than just a few days. Don't worry," Auggie replied as he switched on his cane and made his way down to Bella's desk. He could hear her slam the drawers and there was the occasional huff. "Hey, breathe," he said as he leaned against her desk, blocking her from accessing her drawers.

She sat up straight, looking around before turning back to him and leaning forward. "I know we work for the CIA and all but this? This is a fucking conspiracy with them now. Bait and tease!" She hissed, then looked around to make sure no one heard her.

He smiled at her and reached out for her arm, gently rubbing it. "I'm not too happy about it either, but, if it's of any consolation, it's likely that Annie can't have any contact and that she has to be an open book so no encryption possibilities and… I feel a bit more at ease with you having her back." When she stayed silent, and he could only imagine that she was shooting daggers at him now, he continued. "I may or may not have accidentally been CC'ed into an email to Jai about a smuggler coming out of London and I know Joan. It'll all be okay."

Bella pouted as she reached for his hand. "Doesn't mean I have to like it though," she sighed. Noticing Joan trying to catch her eye she pulled back.

"I know, but hey, you can bring me back some English treats," he said with a grin and pushed himself off her desk before moving in closer. "And I'll be sure to spoil you rotten when you come home."

She struggled to suppress the smile at the promise in his tone. It only made her want to hurry to finish these missions that much sooner. "I'll call you along the way," she whispered as she stood, disappointed that she couldn't give him a kiss and likely wouldn't see him again before she left.

"Of course," he huffed. "If you're not, I'll be calling the CIA in London and hunt your ass down so I can talk to you. Now, let's do this briefing."

"I'm going to have to make Mom's gift extra _special_ ," Bella murmured as they started for the ops room. "Totally requesting personal time after this."

By the end of the briefing, he had the imprints of Bella's nails in his back. Annie was going to have some _fun_ , and there wasn't a lot about Bella's side mission. Auggie hated it that Jai was going to fill her in later. It never meant any good. Speaking of Jai, he wasn't all too happy about him going to the UK either, but someone had to work Annie's mission from a CIA standpoint, _and_ , he was also Bella's back up.

All in all, Auggie felt as if he had drawn the short end of the stick by having to stay home.

He walked Bella out of the building in comfortable silence. Neither of them wanted to leave. "Ah, it is possible that you'll run into Jennifer when you get home. Don't kill her, she's vetted by the CIA and she makes sure that I don't get any dust bunnies in the house. Not that I can see them anyway, but you know."

"Jennifer…?" Bella repeated as she slowed to a stop, looking over his shoulder briefly before turning her attention fully on him with a slight smile. "Now I think you should be more concerned on how this - cleaning service will greet me. I can promise I will be on my best behavior as much as possible."

"She knows about you," he smiled at her. "I called her in not long after you told me you'd stay at my apartment so she could make an extra sweep of the place." He gently ran the back of his hand over her arm before adding playfully, "And when you're driving off, I'll give her a phone call not to shoot you."

"She should be lucky I don't have a gun. I should get one," she muttered as she leaned in to kiss his cheek as normal but lingered longer than usual with a sigh. "I'll try to make this quick."

"Enjoy yourself, okay? Don't rush things when you don't need to rush them even if you feel like you should rush it."

She pressed herself against him and her lips smiled against his skin. "I'll work smart. I'll call when we land," she whispered and pecked his cheek quickly again.

He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Be safe and damnit, I wish that I could kiss you right now."

"Believe me, so do I. When I get back, we aren't leaving the apartment for anything. I don't care what the emergency," she breathed out. "I'll be back before you know it. Stay out of trouble."

"Don't worry, mom will look after me," he planted a kiss on top of her head. "Now go before I do something stupid."

Bella turned and walked away, without saying another word as if she did, it would become more difficult to leave the longer she stayed. As it was, she was going to working the entire mission likely in a pissed off mood.

~o.O.o~

"Cheer up," Jai smiled at her as they waited for boarding. While they were all flying in separately, it didn't mean that Bella and him couldn't sit together. This was mainly to make sure Annie was alone for her cover. "Once you're done, you can go back to your toyboy, even when Annie and I aren't finished yet."

She shifted her eyes over, glaring at him at his insinuation. Her mouth opened to cuss him out before changing tactics. "What the hell are you talking about? What _toyboy_?"

"Our friendly neighborhood tech guy," he smiled and motioned towards his neck. "There was a semi covered hickey on his neck."

Her face remained unchanging as she blinked, giving nothing but that single indication away. "I wouldn't know. I didn't notice," she shrugged, turning forward again.

"All I can say is 'finally'," he said before retrieving a file from his briefcase. "Some light reading for you for the next nine hours. Try to get some sleep while you can."

Rolling her eyes, she reached over to take the folder from him. "Whatever. I can tell you that Annie's surprise from you present from me is still sitting where they landed Thursday night. Untouched," she muttered as she snuck a peek into the documents and frowned. "Just how close is this contact to them?"

"Undetermined," Jai replied with a shrug. "Rumours say that he moves in their circle, and it's your job to get as much information as possible. He's a publisher, so your cover will be that you've written a manuscript on the ancient history of southern Italy. When we land, Mike from our London office is waiting for you with everything you'll need," he added and pointed to the file. "We could have sent someone else but you're the only one who's that familiar with them and can tell if he's bogus or not."

"Ergh. Timing still blows," she sighed, stuffing the package into her carry on. "You do know I'll be shopping for something extra special for you and blondie."

"You'll have most of the days to yourself, so do your worst," Jai grinned at her. "I'm not scared."

Hearing her flight announced on the PA being ready for boarding, Bella stood and smiled, shouldering her bag. "Glad to know I have your permission. If this trip goes belly up, I'm blaming it on you."

"You'll be fine," Jai took a sip of his coffee as he followed her to board.

~o.O.o~

He had kept a close eye on when her plane would land on Heathrow Airport and waited an extra half an hour to be sure, but he wanted to hear her voice. It was stupid, really. For years they could go without a daily talk and all it took was a weekend alone to change that.

Auggie had gone home quite late and was picking at his fries when he waited for Bella to pick up the phone.

"I have a great idea for that dinner you planned to make, when I get back," Bella greeted as she answered the phone, her lips pulling back into a playfully smile as she left the catwalk and headed for the baggage claim.

"Oh really? Did you spend the entire flight just thinking about that?"

"Hmm, no. I did think about after dinner, and before. All that in between my _light_ reading that I'd been given to curb any boredom by Mom. She's so _kind_ ," Bella said with a wry smile as she glanced around quickly and grinned. "I'll pick up something for you to wear while you cook."

Auggie blinked at that. "I won't even ask."

"Oh, and by the way. You might want to wear a turtleneck to work. A birdie was so kind to point out that someone may have given you a bit of a love bite that was noticeable," she added, dropping her voice as she grew more cautious of eavesdroppers.

"Ah," he said nodding. "It explains why Barber was making digs at me today," his hand unconsciously went to his neck to rub it and he could feel the slightly broken skin. "That someone sure has sharp teeth."

"Hey. It was in the moment. They didn't even remember doing it," she smiled, pleased nonetheless of the gift she'd been able to leave behind while she was gone.

"And you took my shirt."

Bella grinned as she reached for her baggage. "I needed something to sleep in if I couldn't have you."

"Fair enough," he replied as he took a sip of his beer. "Get some sleep when you get to your hotel. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Waiting in bed, naked, when I get home?" she teased.

"Sure, with a bow tie wrapped around my neck," he laughed. "Whatever you desire," he added in a low, sultry voice.

She let out a low, anticipating chuckle as she pictured the scene in her mind. "I look forward to it. I'll call you later."

Jai had watched Bella make her phone call from a distance, and when she hung up, he moved in. "You're blushing. Normally when you'd pull shit like this with Auggie, there wouldn't be any blushing involved," he teased. "This only adds more evidence to the growing pile of it that you're together."

Bella's expression dropped as she stood up stock straight and stared forward, grinding her teeth. Denying, would be fruitless. "What do you want Jai? Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Like babysitting a baby blondie since _hers_ isn't allowed to make the trip?"

"No, just reminding you that you have to meet Mike when you get through customs. I'm going to wait for Annie in the Starbucks near the exit of the gate. She's arriving in a few hours."

"Keep whatever you heard to yourself," she turned on him, a promise of nothing but violence in her eyes. "I don't need to tell you twice, do I?"

"I'm more than happy to," Jai smiled at her. "It's just nice that you two are finally going through with it all. You deserve it."

She blinked at him, pulling back unsure of what to say, only to shrug a shoulder at his words. "It's an adjustment. Just don't tell anyone. We don't even know if it'll work," she murmured.

"Your secret is safe with me, I promise," he gently pat her on the back. "And it'll work out. You two have been doing this dance for years now, nothing's changed."

"A lot has changed, for us, between him and I," she whispered as she dragged her luggage behind her and took his arm to pull him away to a quiet area away from other people. "We may have acted like this around others, but when we were alone, we were nothing more than friends. Like you and I when I had my issues with my assignment, if I believed that _they_ were getting too close before I was ready."

"I know, but just because you made things official between the two of you, doesn't mean you lose that friendship side of things. Just hanging out, having a beer. It's not like all of a sudden there's a noose around your neck pulling you towards him all the time when you step outside of it."

Bella drew in a deep breath and her gaze shifted over his shoulder to stare at nothing. "Perhaps not, but what happens when the past comes knocking. He doesn't know what I've been dealing with all these years and it's a big secret that he in part knows about."

"You could read him in. You're both working for the company, he'll understand."

"You know where this mission came from and it wasn't Joan. You think you can get the DCI to approve that?"

"Sure, if you want me to arrange that," he smiled at her. "But I'd have to tell the DCI that you two are together and that Auggie needs to be read in. Not just for your sake, but also for his. Seeing as he does hold a grudge against you-know-who and he might punch him in the face as to restore your honor and in turn, compromise the mission. Auggie has a berserker button, it hasn't got any less with his loss of eyesight."

Her lips twitched at the corners, her eyes coming back to his. "Give me a day or two to consider that. It may work to our advantage, but get the permission in the meanwhile so that first chance we get, I can tell him. Or you, if for whatever reason I am unable."

"Plus, having Auggie read in could work in our favor seeing as he's a league above all other techs. Having him on this would make things even easier."

"More fun playing it old school if we didn't have him. You know he's the only tech worth anything in that building," she grinned. Turning, she started to walk away before stopping short and spun back around. "I should mention that I dropped off a belated birthday present in the mail for your father on the way to the airport before we left. You should expect a phone call from him in a day or so…"

"Oh dear god," Jai muttered as he passed her with a wave of the hand. "Call me if you need any help. If you're lucky, you should be home before the weekend. Don't forget to pick up Mike."

"Oh I'm hoping for that as I have plans for when I do and yes, Mike. I remember the annoying, Golden Retriever name. Yes, yes. Say hi to Daddy Dearest for me," she said and walked away in her own direction.

~o.O.o~

Making her way through the streets of London after checking into her hotel, Bella was more eager to get her part of the trip over with as quickly as possible as she window shopped in the neighborhood that Demetri Volturi was known to frequent. His office was not far, but he had a certain taste for fashion and foods. And for women. That was one thing she certainly was not about to do. Dye her hair blonde.

Playing with her cellphone, she debated on who to talk to about dragging Annie in on this. She'd overheard enough from shop girls, enough to gag and leave. It made her wonder if this was even going to be worth the trouble.

Finding herself outside of a lounge, only doors down from the man's publishing office, she smiled as the bouncer gave her the once over and let her in. Making her way through the dark hallway, her eyes took in the room. If it wasn't for the gaudy, neon sublighting and ridiculously low furniture, the jazz style music currently playing would be enough to draw Auggie in. Everything else, he would hate. Making her way to the bar, she took a stool that was away from others as she waited for the bartender and continued to watch the room passively.

"What's your poison, gorgeous?" Someone sat down beside her with a big smile on his face, eying her hungrily. He had a thick, Italian accent and it was obvious that he had learned English from TV shows.

Bella's lips twitched out of habit, debating on her angle before she spoke. "Gaja Sori Tildin 1999," she replied. "But I sorely doubt that they'll have that."

"Bellisima," the man smiled widely. "Someone who knows her wines, yes? As it happens, I have a great wine cellar at home, would you like to see?"

Turning in her seat to face him, she raised an eyebrow and gave him a playful smile. "Now, I doubt that you would have offered such an invitation to all your potential clients, Mr. Volturi. I am much too invested in my writing to risk mixing business with - pleasure," she said in a low voice, her eyes glancing him over.

He stared at her in shock before blinking. "Have we met? You look oddly familiar, miss…?"

"I don't know. Perhaps. I travel a lot, spent a great deal of time in Italy researching for my novel," she answered as she leaned a little closer in. "Maybe two strangers passing in the night, or some tourist photo I had stood with. I've been with many groups through the years."

"Perhaps, but I am not certain," he said as his eyes flicked up and down her face. "No, no, I think I saw you with my cousins, in Italy."

Bella frowned slightly, feigning confusion. "Cousins? I only just left Italy recently, and lived there over the last two years, Signore. I haven't been with any groups during this stretch. What can you tell me about your cousins? My memory tends to run passed me when I get lost in my work. I'm sure you understand..." She batted her eyes as she reached out and ran her hand over his arm.

"Oh, they're very wealthy," he said, gesturing to the bartender for something to drink. "They're considered to be royalty in some circles. Very nice people."

"Perhaps if you tell me their names, it may jog a memory? I've met so many. Europe is just a whole other world compared where I am from," she smiled.

"They're the Volturi, of course," he laughed as he handed her a glass of wine. "This wine is excellent. I have been drinking this all night, it's not the one you wanted, but it's the best that they have."

She raised an eyebrow as she raised the glass to her nose, before taking a tentative sip. Humming appreciatively, she set it down before glancing back up at him. "I recall spending some time in Volterra years ago but it was fleeting at best. I wasn't there with your family specifically though."

"Perhaps you committed a crime against them and that's why you look familiar," he said, jokingly. "They have an entire room dedicated to people who have wronged them."

It was a scene she was never able to forget and often dreamt about, fought nightmares against. "If I committed a crime, I doubt a family as powerful as yours would just let me walk away," she hinted. "That is if they were truly such -"

"You are too beautiful to commit crimes, only those of stealing hearts," he said, waving the idea away. "You're a writer?"

"I have a historical novel on some villages of Italy. I lived in some small towns over the last couple years and have gotten to know the culture, the people. It became my home. I wanted to do something to signify my time there," she answered, concerned about the subject change.

"You have a manuscript? I would be interested in reading that, to publish," he smiled at her, taking a sip of his wine. "I'm famous for publishing books on Italy, even if they're travel guides."

Bella grinned and nodded. "I do. I have it safe in my hotel room. I actually have an appointment with you tomorrow afternoon to discuss it. I didn't imagine I'd get to meet you here before it."

"That is perfect. I can't wait to lay my eyes on it," he looked her over once again. "Are you sure you do not wish to mix pleasure and work? You are so beautiful."

It took every ounce of strength in her not to react physically. Pushing out any emotion to cause her eyes to water, she shook her head. "If it were another time perhaps, but I am still getting over a harsh breakup and am not quite ready for even a one-night fling. Please understand, Signore. That was part of that trip, a healing experience."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that, _bella_ ," He offered her a handkerchief to dry her tears. "Who in their right mind would do something to hurt you?"

"First love," she gave a watery smile. "Edward was - different, but was not meant to be, but I've been given the opportunity to open my eyes and see and explore the world by his actions and am accepting it as a gift."

"First love? Oh, _bella_ , no one should be hurt by their first loves! It's a crime against passion, against love and beauty! Where can I find him? I shall cut him for hurting you."

Bella shook her head and laid a hand on his. "He is not worth any anger. Not anymore. I would not know the first place where to find him anymore if I did wish him harm. I should head back now. Thank you though, for a lovely welcome to London, Signore Volturi. I look forward to our meeting tomorrow."

"As do I," he smiled at her. "Again, I cannot wait to read your manuscript. If it's as beautiful as you are, I am certain we could strike a deal and get your work published."

"I look forward to it. I shall see you tomorrow. Have a good evening," she said as she stood from her stool, held back briefly as he held her hand to drop a kiss to her knuckles before allowing her to leave.

Quickly, as soon as she had cleared the door, she made her way back to her room and went straight for her safe to pull out the package from her contact. Flipping through the pages, she was relieved enough that it would certainly pass the man's scrutiny.

Taking her phone as she showered and changed for bed, she laid down and pulled up Auggie's profile and smiled at his picture. Hitting the call button, disappointed in herself that she couldn't even last a whole night from him, she prayed she wasn't making a fool of herself.

"Miss me already?" He sounded slightly intoxicated. "And shouldn't you be sleeping by now? It's what? 3 am? 4?"

"I just got in from scoping the area out of where I need to be later for my meeting. I just had to scrub myself down from being hit on by um...my target," she sighed as she was waiting on Jai's call back on the approval to include him in on the mission details.

"Yes, I heard, mixing business with pleasure," he said as he took another shot of tequila. "I am guilty of using a satellite and CCTV to keep an eye on you. Mike owed me access. Forgive me."

She couldn't help but be more amused than annoyed. "Perhaps. I am more concerned about what you are drinking and why. I'm completely faithful if that's your concern."

"I had a couple of beers," he replied, shrugging. "And I know you are, I just felt worried. If it makes you feel any better, I heard Annie arrive at Heathrow as well so…"

"Something happen?"

"No, she's fine too."

Bella's fingers toyed with the buttons on his shirt she wore. "Jai overheard our conversation, well my end, earlier. He knows. I threatened him and he's promised to stay hush with an exception…"

"It's fine," Auggie got to his feet and headed into the direction of his bed, he needed to stop drinking if he wanted to be on top of his game the next day. "Don't worry about it, okay? If Jai knows, he knows. As much as I don't like him, he won't tell."

"Jai is going to work on getting permission so that we can read you in on my assignment. I mean, fully. You already know, uh, some details. So Auggie? If I don't get that clearance in time, and you hear me asking or saying anything about whiskey, then know that my past is coming back to haunt me. Okay?" she explained as vaguely as she possibly could.

He thought for a moment in his alcohol haze, his brain firing in every direction. "No wonder moving on is hard," he muttered as it clicked; her assignment in Italy had to do something with that idiot Edward. The idiot who caused Bella so much distress and kept him up all night a few times after a stressful day at the Farm. "If you don't get the clearance, I will sweet talk Mom."

"My assignment was handed to me from higher up than Mom _and_ Dad."

"Yeah but I take it that Mom knows about it."

Bella sighed at that. "Yes and that doesn't mean she's happy about it. She has no jurisdiction over it. She tried pulling it into her purview a few times but we'll discuss it later when I know I have the freedom to do so, and not over the phone. I just really want to get this idiot's phone cloned later and get the hell out of dodge."

"Yes, the sooner you return, the better. Ghosts from the past aren't much fun to deal with by yourself," he replied, almost dropping the phone on his face when he got into the bed.

"As soon as I see Jai again, I'll make sure that will be at the top of his to-do list," she promised. "I am tired of doing this alone and I don't want to. You don't know how many times I wanted to talk to you about it and couldn't."

"I may have to talk to Mom about a similar issue when it comes to my past," he muttered. "Sometimes this job sucks."

She snorted her agreement. "Get some rest. Mom wasn't happy with either of us when we showed up to work hungover last time. And - thinking about it, maybe you shouldn't cover up that little bite. Jessica seemed to have had her eye on you since I came back. I will fight anyone I need to."

"Now that I would pay for to see," he grinned. "You better sleep too, don't want to be too jetlagged on your mission."

"I'm still partly operating on Italian time. I'll be fine, but yeah. I'll call you when I know more - or you know…when I need to hear your voice some more."

"Good night, Bella," he smiled as he rolled to his side. "I'll be at work in like… 8 hours."

She eyed her clock and pouted. "I'll be walking into my meet around that time. Goodnight, Auggie." Taking a breath she hung up before either of them could try dragging it out longer. "I love you," she whispered to herself as she stared at the phone before reaching over to the end table to set it aside and turning the light out.


	7. Chapter 7

Bella walked into Demetri Volturi's office, lead in by his secretary and was seated across from his desk. He was not in the room and as the secretary informed her that he would be in shortly, she left her alone otherwise.

A cursory glance found that there was nothing out of place. The man had plenty of photos of himself with a number of seemingly important figures on his shelves, but she saw them for who they were. Family heads to give the the man some feeling of importance to his family. He was a charmer and while she was certain she could get more information out of him if she supplied him with enough liquor, she may take that risk another day if his phone didn't pan out.

Checking the door quickly, she pulled a tiny bug sticker from her purse and took the picture frame on the desk of Demetri and Aro Volturi, pulling the back out to stick the device inside before hurrying to set it back. Biting her lip, she debated on her chances, before plugging her USB stick into his computer, praying that the copy would be quick.

As soon as it signaled it was complete, she pulled it out and just rounded the desk when the door begun to open, causing her to freeze. Turning to the bookcase, she slipped the drive under her bra and begun to browse the pictures and titles he had on display, as if she'd been doing that entirely while passing the time while waiting.

"Hello again, _bella_ Bella!" Demetri greeted her warmly. "I hope you don't mind having had to wait a little bit, I was otherwise occupied."

She smiled at him as she held her hand out. "It's quite alright, Signore. I was just admiring your collection. I've read a few myself."

He shook her hand and smiled. "Then you've read more than I have, _bella_. These are simply from my private collection to make an impression, and it always does just that!"

"Always so candid?" she teased as she dipped her head. Gesturing towards his desk, she indicated the thick envelope she had resting on the edge. "I have my manuscript for you. I hope you do give reading that some time and consideration."

"I am always honest, Bella," he said as he moved to his desk to unpack her manuscript. "While deception is a way to get what you want, I always find that honesty is the best policy." Blinking as he looked at the pages, he let out a deep breath. "Well, this will take me a while to get through, did you plan on writing three books?"

"I may have let my words get away from me. It could be broken down if you believe it best," she said as she made her way closer.

"Of course, we have editors at hand to see if it needs any pruning," he muttered and looked at the door when someone knocked on it. "I'm in a meeting!"

"I know, sir, but this man insisted on not waiting," his secretary called out. "He said it would only take a minute."

Demetri sighed as he took out his phone, seeing a message from his 'guest' confirming who it was. Setting the phone down in annoyance, he turned to Bella he smiled apologetically. "Please excuse me, _mia bella_. This shouldn't take but a few moments."

"Of course, Signore," she nodded as she waved her hand. "I'll be here waiting. It must be important."

"It's only my cousin Felix, he simply does not like to wait. He is not a patient man," he smiled before ducking out of the door, leaving it ajar.

Bella's smile faltered slightly at the name. Her heart raced at being so close to one of the Volturi, especially one that was more familiar with her. If she was to get in with them, she could blow her current cover, but she could not afford to lose the potential intel now. Pulling out the copy phone, she set it beside Demetri's on the desk and activated it.

Slipping closer to the door, she tried to listen in on the conversation between the men, as if she was pacing the room in her wait, she grew concerned.

"... I followed the short sister out here, she has some dealings in London for the family. Something about art."

"And you come here, why?"

"You have connections, cousin," Felix responded kindly. "We need to keep an eye on the pixie before she vanishes, Aro believes she has a hidden agenda."

Bella's eyes narrowed as her heart raced, not having been so close to any member of _that_ family in so long. Making her way back to the desk, happy to find the copy was complete, she slipped her device in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Texting Jai, she needed an out, an excuse to leave the meeting when her target returned. All she knew, was that she needed to get away from Felix, and London.

Bella's phone rang the moment Demetri stepped back inside. "My apologies," he apologized. "Family drama. And pardon me for interrupting," he gestured to the phone in her hands.

She smiled indulgently as she answered the call. "Hello?"

 _"Good afternoon Miss Swan. This is Dennis from reception calling,"_ Jai's British accent sounded. _"It appears that we've had to evacuate your room due to a burst water line, could you please return to the hotel to make sure we've gathered all your belongings? Of course, we will give you another room if you wish."_

Her face fell and her hand came up to her forehead. Of all the idiotic excuses. "Oh hell! Of course I'll be right over. Other arrangements will be made, I assure you," she said, ending the call. Looking to the man, she appeared upset and angry. "I really must go. That was my hotel. It seems that there was some water damage in my room that I need to see to my belongings."

"Oh, of course, of course!" Demetri said understanding. "Your contact details are with your manuscript, yes?"

"Yes, of course. In case it gets misplaced, here is my number for when I return to the states," she said as she grabbed a post-it from his desk and scribbled the Smithsonian contact number. "I look forward to hearing from you, but I really must go. I have some personal presents for friends that I couldn't replace..."

"If there's anything you need, give me a call, _bella_ , I would hate to see your time in London ruined by such a minor occurrence," Demetri watched her quickly gather her things. "Until next time then."

She smiled at his generosity and if she was anything like Walker, she might even come to trust him more. However she was all too familiar with his family. "If or when I'm in London again, I'll be sure to visit the Lounge. Maybe we can share another glass of wine."

"Bellisima," he smiled as he opened the door for her. "Good luck."

Instinct had her looking first, relieved that Felix was gone. "Thank you," she said in her soft voice before turning and walking out. Her hand ran through her hair as she made her way down to the street, looking around, almost paranoid before turning left and heading away from her hotel until she was sure that no one was around her.

Pulling her phone out, she called Jai. "Answer you asshole," she muttered as it kept ringing.

"Ah, damnit, hold up, hold up," Jai said in a hushed voice as he answered his phone. _"Are you alright, Bella?"_

"Felix Volturi is in London, and supposedly so is Alice Cullen," she hissed as she made her way into a nearby park. "I got the copies but dammit Jai. They never travel alone. Demetri didn't recognize me, not really, but Felix would sell me out."

 _"Your mission was to gather information and that's that. It's up to you what you do next."_

"This time. I'm still attached to them regardless," she reminded him. "I was only called back because things went silent too long."

 _"Sure, but that wasn't the mission today,"_ Jai responded. _"We needed more information, you got it. You can go home now and wait it out."_

She let out a breath and felt torn. "And if they decide to rip me away again? This job is beginning to suck big time."

Jai was quiet for a moment and sighed. _"Having this assignment gives you a certain leverage over certain people. You can quit the assignment any time you want to, although it's preferable not to seeing as nobody has ever come this close. If you'd feel… more safe, more confident with … certain people backing you… you can demand it if you feel spooked."_

"We're not supposed to feel spooked," she mumbled. "We are. Where are you?"

 _"I was just about to raid a warehouse in the Camden district for Annie's op."_

She was irritated by that. "Why does she get the fun ops and I get sleazebag? That's not fair. His profile even said he preferred blondes."

 _"And yet, he had no problem with hitting on you last night for mentioning this special wine your cover likes. But seriously, Bella, if you feel like you no longer wish to do this on your own or without any proper_ back up _, demand it. You have the right to get your own team for this."_

"You need to get DCI to approve Auggie. I can't keep it all from him. He doesn't like me. He's already suspended me, what? Twice?"

 _"Thrice, but who's counting?"_ Jai said with a smile in his voice. _"Decide what you want. Go home, or try to find Alice and tail her, but your mission, the intel gathering, is done."_

"Fine. But if anyone says anything, I'm pointing the finger at you that you gave me the choice," she argued. "If you and blondie has free time between you, they mentioned trailing Alice in the nightlife, so I'm guessing clubs and lounges. I have a home cooked meal to go back to in DC."

 _"We're hitting a casino tonight for Annie's cover. Maybe she'll show up, it's a pretty famous casino."_

"Wouldn't put it past the midget. Maybe I'll join you tonight and go back tomorrow. She's as slick as she is annoying. Manipulative gnome like that bitch Natasha."

 _"And if you'd join, what would your cover be, huh? Hit rock bottom? Got yourself a sugar daddy?"_

Bella grinned at that. "Well, he does give some sugar, but that's between us. I'll come up with something. Just - get DCI, please?"

 _"Can I go back to my raid now?"_

"Sure. Go play. Don't let me have any of the fun. Bye," she hung up and growled in annoyance before calling Auggie at his work desk.

 _"Hey, if it isn't my_ favourite _operative,"_ Auggie greeted her on the phone as he decided to take some time off from listening to his emails. _"How are you doing?"_

"Could be better, could be worse," she answered as she moved to sit on a bench, watching the people around her. "How are things back home?"

 _"The usual. What's up? You sound irritated, did something happen?"_

She let out a huff as she looked down at her hand before resuming her people watching. "You can say that. I had to text Jai to give me an excuse to get out of the meet. My contact had gotten an unexpected visitor and - I couldn't risk being made. He would have recognized me."

 _"Ouch. Did you manage to complete the mission or do you have to go back in?"_

"No, I got it and of course the contact still expects to keep in touch. Such as that type of sleaze. Um, but Jai did give me the option of going home now or staying and pursuing a potential lead."

 _"Well, things have been quiet for you on that front,"_ he eventually said. As much as he wanted her to come home, he also knew that her assignment was still not over and done with. _"If you feel safe and comfortable by pursuing this potential lead, then you should go for it. But only if you feel safe doing it. If you find it too risky, you need to abort."_

She was silent as she listened. "I only got confirmation through the contact that one was in town, but knowing these people, they never travel alone. I'm just concerned about which _others_ are with the one. This one, is minor, an annoyance. Jai's concern, if I stay to join him and Blondie tonight, is what my cover would be if any of them happen to show up. I was debating about at least staying for that and coming home tomorrow. I mean - it's blackjack."

 _"Oh, that sounds like fun,"_ he said amused. _"Well, as long as you don't make a debt for yourself, I suggest to go. It's a_ low risk _environment and Jai and Annie will be in the same area. As for your cover… hmm… tourist on a night out. Keep it simple."_

"I should mention I left my old Smithsonian number with Demetri Volturi for that manuscript excuse…Any of _them_ would know me and the manipulative little gnome will demand my life story."

 _"Manuscript? Your op?"_

"Meh, I got the intel."

Auggie laughed. _"Good thing I know how to keep a secret, gorgeous. Your life story… you've been traveling, London is your last stop before going home."_

"And when Jai and Annie come over to pull me off of the bitch? Maybe I should ask off the assignment. I've been a mix of pissed off and nauseous at the possibility of running into any of them."

 _"I'm listening in on Annie tonight and Jai will be on the phone. I think I can juggle a third_ voice, _if you'd like. I think you're more than capable of plowing through."_

"Plowing? Really?" she giggled as her eyes darted around. "Should wash your mouth out with soap."

 _"Yep, plowing,"_ he replied smiling, glad to hear a smile in her voice. _"It's so not a dirty word,_ Swan. _"_

"It is when I'd rather be home, with you, in bed right now," she admitted as she bit her lip.

 _"And you do realize that you're calling me on my work phone, where all the conversations get recorded?"_

She groaned as her mind had slipped, and prayed that it would take at least until Jai got through to the DCI before it filtered down to their division. Slapping herself in the forehead, she cussed under her breath. "How long do you think we have?"

 _"Relax, they don't tend to listen to anything I say anyway,"_ Auggie snorted. _"But yeah, I could be sitting in your ear all night while you have fun at the casino, hearing you kick ass."_

Smiling, she needed his encouragement. "I'll go tonight and be on the first plane back. Only because you made it sound so much more fun."

 _"I'm so much more fun than stuffy old Jai, I'm the coolest cat."_

"That you are," Bella agreed. "Tomorrow Auggie."

~o.O.o~

Bella walked into the casino, her hands smoothing down her dress that she had to buy last minute for the night. Looking around, her eyes caught Annie's across the room before turning to find a game she desired to play.

Pausing at a poker table, she watched a game played, and the players before she waved down for a waitress for a drink as she pulled up a seat. "Gentlemen," she smiled at them, setting her chips on the table, ready for the next hand to be dealt.

"What is it with American women in this establishment tonight?" One of the men complained in high English.

"Ah, don't be so snobbish, Richard, at least we get something nice to look at while we play, unlike your ugly mug," another man replied.

"I'm particularly happy about another American joining the table, beautiful woman or not, perhaps she'll be lucky," a man with a Texan accent replied, when he caught Bella's eye, he winked at her. "Ma'am."

She smiled slightly, raising her eyebrow. "Perhaps it is you, gentlemen, that will make _me_ lucky. Ever consider that? I happen to be rather good at poker, so I've been told."

"Then you won't need any luck," he winked at her as he returned his attention back to his cards with a stoic look on his face.

Bella looked at her cards once and smiled at other players as she set her bet next to the pile. Rather high raise as she just joined the table, but she remained silent as she watched their faces for reactions.

"Careful, ducky," 'Richard' warned her. "You don't want to risk losing it all in a few rounds."

"Any particular reason you are concerned about my money?" she asked innocently. "I have enough saved for the occasional night out like this."

"Perhaps he'd like to enjoy your company a while longer, Peaches," the Texan replied playfully with an even look on his face. "Or maybe he's just scared that you'll take his money. He has a terrible poker face."

"Isn't that the goal here? To take one's money?" she blinked, looking to the dealer.

The man sitting next to her grinned. "He hates losing from women, but I'll happily place a side bet that you'll clean him right out."

"Aww, aren't you just a handsome flirt," she teased, eyeing him. "I just might take _that_ bet because he is rather - cumbersome. Isn't he?"

 _"Aren't you just the flirt,"_ Auggie's voice sounded in her ear. " _Peaches_."

"I fold," Richard said as he handed his cards back to the dealer.

"Seriously? Before the river is even on the table?" The Texan blinked. "Hell, I'll gladly participate in that side bet too!"

Turning in her seat, Bella went to get a better look of the other American at the table. To say that the hair at the back of her neck stood up was an understatement. While she didn't feel him as a threat, he also wasn't on par with safe. "You are a long way from home. Texas is known for doing things big. You brave enough to call my bet?"

"I'll even raise ya," he said as he threw his chips on the table. "Aren't Texans allowed to travel these days? That's new."

"Perhaps. I just have met one that actually jumped the pond," she answered as she met his bet and looked at him. "You'd be the first."

"I like to get my feet wet, on occasion," he said as the other guy folded as well. "Party pooper."

" _Is this how we sounded when we weren't together? Slap him already,"_ Auggie's voice sounded in Bella's ear.

She couldn't stop the smile on her face. "It's fun to take risks sometimes. My biggest one is like this fly that I can never get rid of. He just buzzes around in your ear, but I still love him all the same for it."

Auggie heaved a breath at her words then chuckled. " _Nice save…"_

"Oh, I can relate," the Texan replied as he looked at his cards. "Sometimes I feel as if I'm being followed by a mosquito, her high pitched buzzing drives me nuts. Must be the water."

"There is a redhead I work with like that. I'm tempted to stab her with my shoe when she gets too close to what's mine," she said with a demented smile. "I just might when I get home."

"Oh, gotta watch out for those redheads," he smirked. "They're evil." He raised his eyebrow when the final card landed on the table. "Interesting."

Bella glanced at the turn card, unfazed. "How so?"

"You can't trust them," he muttered and revealed the cards. "Beat that, peaches."

She flipped her cards, smiling at his three of a kind. Setting her chin in her hand, she just smiled at him.

"Well played, well played," he chuckled as he applauded. "You can buy me a drink now."

"I would but the only man I buy liquor for is my man at home. He's already finished up my tequila since I've left on my trip," she said, annoyed as she rolled her eyes.

" _How did you know?"_ Auggie asked shocked.

"That's interesting, how do you know? Did he tell ya? Why isn't he accompanying you? Surely he'd hate it to see his woman flirting with another man."

Bella shrugged and tossed in her blind bet for the next hand. "He's not that innocent that he doesn't know what I'm doing, just like he should know that I wouldn't have someone check on things if I can't be there. I made a promise not to kill the maid. So I made her my little pet. He owes me a bottle of Cabo Wabo."

" _I'm more of a Patron guy so you're out of luck,"_ Auggie muttered. " _Okay, I'll be gone for like five minutes. Might be back sooner."_

"Maid, huh? Love those," the Texan replied. "So why isn't he here, gracing your arm? You're obviously wearing the pants in your relationship."

"Not everyone can leave their job on a whim for a pleasure trip. Well, not so much pleasure, as it is partially business. I just decided to have a night of fun here before I go home tomorrow," she replied, looking around as she saw the casino staff take the wallet out of Annie's purse across the floor.

The Texan coughed so that Bella brought her attention back on him. "I suppose. In a relationship sometimes seeing each other too much is too much. Create enough distance and often enough to keep the relationship healthy."

She looked back at him and smiled. "We've had enough distance over the years before we even considered anything more, but I - don't regret wanting to be closer more," she found herself saying. "I do regret not realizing how I felt sooner."

"We're playing cards, we're not doling out relationship advice," Richard murmured.

"Well, if you had asked for advice, Richard, maybe you and your wife wouldn't have gotten that very expensive divorce a couple years back."

"Shut up, John."

"Maybe I should just win another hand and buy him a lady for the night," Bella murmured thoughtfully as she looked at the grumpy man. "Getting laid could do wonders."

"Here you are!" Alice's voice sounded and she was on the Texan in no time, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Darlin, I need to see my cards," he replied gently as he tapped on her arm.

Bella instantly froze, swallowing what was left in her glass before holding it up for the waitress that was coming past. "Whiskey. Make it a double for me," she ordered, her mind racing. She had gotten too comfortable, thinking that maybe they weren't going to show here, that they had gone somewhere else. Oh her luck...

" _Hey, I'm back, what did I miss?"_ Auggie's voice filled her head again. " _It's so quiet over there…"_

She slapped her arm as she slipped into her best bitch face. "You know, I would think that for a place like this, they would be on the ball. You might want to tell your bosses to get an exterminator. There are mosquitos around."

" _There's a can of mace in your purse, isn't there? Instant bug repellant,"_ Auggie replied.

"Bella! Oh my gosh!" Alice nearly screeched. "It's been so long!" She ran around the table and flung herself around her neck.

" _Ouch, that was harsh,"_ Auggie winched.

She growled as she stood stock still in her arms, glaring at the woman. "There isn't enough whiskey in the world to deal with you. In fact, I haven't swallowed an ounce yet. Get your hands off me," she warned. "Before I break them and shove my shoe in your eye socket."

"Geez," Alice said as she let go of Bella and moved back to her boyfriend.

"So you two know each other?" the Texan asked Alice, surprise in his face. "Small world?"

"Oh yeah, Bella and I go way back," Alice responded quickly, taking a sip of his drink. "One thing she's always been good at is holding a grudge."

" _Don't tell me that this complication actually turned up in the casino. Of all the casinos in London, she picks the same you're in? That's unlucky and I'm so sorry,"_ Auggie said quickly. " _I'll get you all the booze you need."_

"Alice, I let the shit go a long time ago what him and your family did to me. You, on the other hand, are a backstabbing, manipulative, two-faced bitch that will use anyone to get what you want. I'm only sorry I didn't see it back then, that I just let you railroad me with everything. I'm not the same _Bella_ anymore, _Alice_. And if this guy has any brains, he'll run as far and fast from your deranged family as he can get," she hissed in her face.

'Jasper' raised his eyebrow as he looked between the women. "Excuse me, Peaches, that's my woman you're talking 'bout. You can insult my hat or my boots, but not my woman."

"Your _woman_ ," she stressed, as an insult as it was meant to be, "knew full well what her asshole brother had planned when he decided to break up with me. Nothing uncommon, you'd think, right? But what do you think when you deliberately leave a teenage girl out in the middle of the woods after telling her it was all a game, on the cusp of a storm to get lost. Too premeditated… when he spent so much effort stressing how unsafe the forest was. I nearly _died_. Sometimes I believed that was what the two of them wanted," Bella said thoughtfully, looking at her. "I lived. I moved on. I spent the last ten years avoiding _Cullens_. So, tell me. How many more of you are there in town that I should be aware of?"

"Bella, please, you're obviously not well," Alice said kindly before she turned to Jasper. "She was always quite unstable, to be honest. Edward loved her, but this one day, she lost it."

"You need to pass a background and psych evaluation to own a handgun you know," she smirked. "Government says I'm quite sane. Want to test me?"

" _Bella, take your leave,"_ Auggie said calmly. " _It's going to be okay, she's the only one in London right now - as far as I can tell. Take a deep breath and just leave. Be the bigger person."_

"Stay here," Jasper told Alice before rounding the table and gathering Bella's chips. "Come on, Peaches, let's go outside."

She pushed against him, she had nothing but bloodlust in her eyes for the midget woman. Still, she allowed him to drag her out where the night air acted like cold water over her. "I don't know or care who the hell you are but the next time I see her face, she will taste my fist," she pointed back at the door.

"Okay," he said simply as he handed her her purse.

"And if I ever see the rest of them, it will be too soon," she huffed, beginning to run out of steam.

"They're in Italy at the moment, hobnobbing with some relatives," he said as he leaned against the wall and kept his eyes on her. "You seem to know a lot about the Cullens, what can you tell me about them?"

She grimaced at that as her hands went to her temples. "Fucking hate that place. Inbreeding fuckheads."

"That's putting it lightly," he said with an amused smile on his lips. "On the surface they're nice and all, but dig deeper…"

"How the hell did you get tied up in them? They aren't clean. Why do you think I've avoided them for so long?"

" _Bella, that's Jasper Whitlock, he's an FBI agent,"_ Auggie's voice sounded. " _I recognize his voice now that it's less crowded and you're outside."_

She scratched at her hair, narrowing her eyes on him. "And you seriously can't be that into Alice. She doesn't even have boobs. I thought Texans like their boobs. She has - mosquito bites for tits."

Jasper grinned. "Yeah, she does. I'm not too happy about it, either. Trying not to have intercourse with her for that exact reason. She's as flat as a wooden board."

"How's that working out for you?" she asked. "Surely you'd have walked in on the other two."

"Not. They're shutting me out, so, what can you tell me about them? What do they do?"

"Sorry, can't help you. I haven't spoken to them in a decade until tonight," she deadpanned, her brown eyes meeting his blue in challenge.

"I can't imagine the pain they've put you through, but it would help me immensely if you decided to associate yourself with them again. Alice knows you, even with the emotions, I believe that there's still a chance for you to go back to them."

Bella drew in an irritated breath. "I wouldn't join their family for anything. What the fuck convoluted bullshit are you trying to feed me? Just who the hell do you think you are? What are you? CIA? Because I've seen better agents in the movies."

" _And this is why the American government leaves most of the spying to the CIA,"_ Auggie remarked in Bella's ear. " _He's such a wet wipe."_

"FBI, actually," Jasper admitted with a sly smile. "We're investigating them for a myriad of things that they've pulled in America. I'm sure you've had an inkling about their activities during your time with them and I want you to work with me. And yes, normally we would be more delicate about these things, but you are an opportunity I can't pass up on."

Bella couldn't help but to laugh, as ironically, he was her best shot as well. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass right now. I have things at home I need to get back to that are more important to me than the Cullens and the FBI."

"I could always find you, you know. I'm an actual Federal Agent who could really use your help."

"You do that," Bella waved as she started walking away. "Maybe you can call the CIA for help on super spy training because you kinda suck."

" _Oh, this is going to be fun,"_ Auggie remarked, chuckling. " _Get your things and come home, gorgeous."_


	8. Chapter 8

Bella landed late afternoon from her trip and after passing by the apartment to drop off her bag and change, she headed into the office. As she made her way through the halls, to the DPD, she was stopped by Arthur Campbell, whom wasn't quite sure of what to say to her at first.

Raising an eyebrow at him, she waited until her patience was stretched as far as it could go. "Arthur? Something wrong?" she asked.

He pressed his lips together and shook his head waving her to follow him into his office. Closing the door behind her, he held up the file in his hand. "I know you have a tendency for stirring the pot when you get bored. Sometimes just to provoke reactions. But this last request is something that I'm curious as to what is motivating it before anything goes forward."

Again she raised her brow, but both shot up in surprise. "I haven't a clue of what you're talking about."

Staring at her, Arthur seemed gage her sincerity before nodding. "So you don't want Auggie read into TWILIGHT?"

The awareness quickly dawned on her as she turned her face away, wondering how the inquiry filtered down to him. She hadn't expected Jai to do anything until he got back, but now assumed he had to have placed a call at least.

"Well? Bella?"

She turned her head back to him quickly. Nodding hesitantly, she swallowed her breath. "Yes. I'd like him read in," she croaked.

He leaned against his desk as he studied the girl that had become like a daughter to him over the years. "Why?"

"He knows enough about the Cullens and my relationship with them to know that it's toxic. That, that if he had the opportunity, I don't doubt he would try to kill Edward Cullen on my behalf," she answered as she looked at him. "Much like my father wants to shoot my ex-boyfriend if he ever lays eyes on him again."

"It's not because of your friendship with Auggie driving this inquisition?" he clarified, his tone light but searching. She knew, he knew.

"My relationship with Auggie is a factor in the decision that I don't want to keep details of this particular mission and related assignments from him, yes," she admitted bravely.

He nodded, flipping the folder open on his desk and signed the top paper before looking over at her. "The DCI wanted to deny the request. I happened to be present when the call came in and supported Auggie's inclusion. Fill him in. I hope that he can help keep your head straight as it appears this case is picking up full steam now that they are coming out of the dark. Dismissed."

Making her way into DPD, she was in a daze. Dropping her purse at her desk, even though she wouldn't be there long, she turned to look for Auggie in his office. Only to find it empty. His coat and cane gone. Gnawing on her lip, she turned to leave when Harleen from Cover came down and slid past her to set some drives on his desk.

Glaring at her, as she started to leave, the girl turned and smiled. "Hey Bella. You should go check Auggie out at the museum. He got stuck playing tour guide for Agent Walker's niece's class. It's rather entertaining footage."

Bella fought to smother her irritation and protection of the man. "Why would the idiot agree to a tour?"

"Sell her cover to her sister, I guess. It's too late now to be bothered by it. If you leave now you might be able to still catch him. Oh hey! Do you know if he found a new girlfriend or something because that was one hell of a bite he was sporting this morning," she grinned. "Shame. He's really cute too."

When the girl's eyes narrowed, the Cover tech realized that she might have crossed a fine line, knowing the sensitive history between the two. "Sorry," she huffed and left.

Rolling her eyes, Bella hastily grabbed her purse and left as quickly as she could. She didn't want to seem _too_ eager.

~o.O.o~

Bella walked out of the Smithsonian with her employee badge pinned to her blouse, smiling as she watched Auggie get trampled by a bunch of children. Nearby her, she saw a blond woman on the phone thanking someone profusely. When she started going on about how wonderful Auggie was, she had the idea that the woman was Annie's sister and she liked him for more with the agent.

"Geez Auggie. If I'd known you liked kids this much, I'm sure they could have arranged for you to lead _all_ the tours that come up like this," Bella called out, garnishing both the man's attention, and that of Annie's sister.

Smiling widely because his girl was back, he turned to her. "Have you come to save me?" He felt like a human jungle jim. It was probably his own fault for having allowed them to climb on him in the first place, but third graders were exhausting.

Annie owed him big time. He was still only hanging around as it was the proper way of doing things while the teacher and the moms waited for the bus to return to take them back to school. He needed coffee.

He was going to file a complaint with Covers, although they had apologized to him. Annie hadn't informed them - of course not, she didn't know she had to inform them when something major like a tour with kids happened to retain her cover. So filing a complaint with them would be moot.

Annie owed them too.

"Perhaps," Bella answered, pulling her phone out to sneak a photo of him with the group. Pocketing it, she bit her bottom lip slightly as she drew in a breath. "You ready to go? I just got out of an, um, interesting meeting with Arthur."

"Ah, please," Auggie said before turning his attention back to the kids. "No, no, no, my cane is not a lightsaber." He helped the kid to get off his back - more like peeling him off - and told him to find his teacher for him.

Stepping in to give him a hand with the kids, she quickly had him separated as she gave the most rambunctious a gentle shove towards their guardians for the trip. "Go on, go to your teachers or moms. Whoever they are," she told them. Putting herself between her boyfriend and the children when they tried to come back, she raised her eyebrow silently and just pointed until they turned away. Shaking her head, she turned around to Auggie and let her hand brush his. "You survive this okay?" She asked, smothering a grin.

"I'm still in one piece," he smiled as he ran his hand up her arm. "I am so glad you're home. Are you okay?" His hand reached her hair and he ran his fingers through before leaning in to kiss her.

When they parted, she let out a heavy sigh. She was never more relieved to be in his reach then at that moment. While she could wait until later to tell him, she had decided the band aid approach would be best. Regardless of her knowing his feelings over her ex. "I am now. Can we talk about my meeting when we get home?"

"That bad, huh?" He gently took hold of her arm and nodded. "Very well then, lead the way."

"Eh. More like I'd gotten permission from, um, the grandparents, to tell you more than they originally wanted you to hear," she insinuated, glancing around as she started for the parking lot. "With some help from Dad, as he was around."

He knew how much it meant to her, and he was glad that they had given her the permission. Strange, really, considering she'd been on this mission on her own for years. Jai knew, of course he did, but he wasn't Jai. He always resented Jai a little bit for knowing about this part of Bella's life. "Good thing I've stocked up on alcohol then."

She let out a laugh, and leaned into him. "I'm hoping we won't need it, but a good backup plan regardless. You do have other promises I would rather you follow through on if you don't get as - upset as I think you might."

"Upset? Me?" He snorted and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm still going to cook you a meal and give you a nice massage, I promised."

"Sounds like a plan," she replied, pushing herself up to press her lips to his jaw. "So - Auggie? That guy I met in the casino? How did you know him?" she asked curiously.

"Jasper Whitlock wasn't always an FBI agent," he explained as he put his arms around her now that they'd stopped walking anyway. "I ran into him a couple of times during one of the ops I went on for the special forces. Army Major Whitlock was a pain in the ass, and seems like he hasn't changed. Next time I see him, I'm going to punch him in the face for flirting with you."

Bella's arms slid over his shoulders as she grinned at the image that came to mind. "You should really wait to speak like that until we are alone. You have no idea what that does to me," she whispered into his ear.

"Then get us home and let us deal with the things that need to be dealt with before the fun part starts," he murmured and kissed her again.

"As you wish," she giggled and resumed their previous position as she led them to her car, eager for a fast drive, and avoiding as much traffic as possible.

~o.O.o~

There were so many things he wanted to do with her when they got home, undress her, claim every inch of her body with his hands, his mouth, before he'd impale her, driving the both of them to a climax. Or maybe that first, and then the claiming afterwards.

He had been wanting to do that ever since she'd left, and it had been crazy. He had never experienced a need like that that bad, but it was ever since they decided to give them as a couple a go, he had turned into a horny teenager again.

But he could wait for a while longer, he knew that she wanted to get the tough part out of the way first, and he also knew that it was going to be quite hard for her. Maybe seeing the new apparatus in his kitchen would lift her spirits somewhat.

Auggie slid open the door and took a step to the side. "Welcome home, Bella."

"Home," Bella sighed in relief, as she walked in, dropping her purse on the armchair. "You want a drink for this talk?" she asked as she headed for the kitchen, stopping when she walked into the galley area. "Um, Auggie? What did you do?"

He followed her after closing the door and grinned. "It gets better, open the cabinet underneath it."

Moving forward on his command, she opened the door and her mouth fell open. "When did you do this? I wanted to look for a machine, but put it off… Auggie…" she turned around to kiss him, hard. "You didn't have to do this, really. Oh my god," Bella repeated over as she eyed the Italian system on display on the counter. "Um, where is your coffee maker?"

"I didn't throw it out, but I figured that if I invest in a machine like that that I should learn how to operate it as well. Might have to add some stickers to buttons I need to push. If I'll make a big mess out of it, no harm done, I'll use my coffee maker to make coffee." He then grinned. "I'm going to draw a line at cleaning the fiddly bits though."

"That's fine. Absolutely. If I didn't love you so much before, saying it now would be cheap. Would you like some Italian coffee?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, sure," he found one of the stools and sat down on it. "Knock yourself out." He loved to hear the excitement, the love, in her voice. He knew this had been a stroke of genius. He had had to pull some strings to get it over faster, especially the coffee, but it worked out. "Aside from your mission, did you get to enjoy London a bit?"

Grabbing the instruction manual and a bag of coffee, Bella set to the task of learning how to operate her new gift. "I did. The casino event aside. Despite what happened there, seeing Alice, it was fun, even with your friend Whitlock. I don't know what they are going to want me to do about him, but if I know our bosses like I think I do, I am going to hate having to play double agent against a sister agency. I thought we're supposed to be on the same side?"

"It's likely that you have to try to find out what his mission is without telling him yours and then figure out if he can derail yours," he said as he shrugged. "Or, I could see if I can get him to talk and divulge. And then it's up to you to decide to work with him or not."

Bella looked up, thoughtful as she listened to the machine kick to life. "I was considering, if I had to go through with it like I fear, use him to my advantage. He thinks of me as a potential resource, a gold mine. I know enough to play him and work around his limitations in that family. Speaking of which...my assignment the last couple years… Italy?"

"Let me guess… you were there to keep an eye out on a big crime family and your ex-boyfriend and his family is somehow involved," he replied. "I mean, that's what I've been thinking since the casino and looked up this Alice Cullen. She and Jasper both flew in from Italy."

"The Volturi are cousins of Carlisle," she murmured. "The CIA is more interested in them than the Cullens, but considering my history, I'm a wildcard. They hoped if I was able to be seen as a local, eventually, I might be able to be taken in on their side. Bitter ex in the protection of the stronger side of the family. But everything went dead silent for so long. I hadn't seen anyone of value in a year."

He wanted to ask her why she'd even agree to such a mission, mostly due to the risk of running into that ex of hers, but realized that she was the right person for the job, she had history, she could get close. "I don't like it," he said softly. "And all on your own? Who was… is, your backup?"

"I don't either. And for awhile, Jai was, but he was called away for another assignment that involved another agent, but things were quiet on my end. HQ said that there was a plan in place, if anything were to happen, and I did make another agent or two in the area time to time. I didn't ask any questions when they didn't offer names. I figured they didn't want me to know until the time was right for everyone's safety. Felix Volturi - he's a nasty fucker when he gets his hands on you," she shuddered as she set his drink down. "Your 9:00 o'clock."

"Thanks," he smiled at her, carefully moving his hand to see where the mug was, clocked it and moved it closer to him. "I'm not supposed to know this, but the CIA has been after the Volturi for a very long time. It seems that they have their fingers into everything and almost everyone who can be bought. I've heard the name drop from time to time, and not just in Rome where I was for a while."

"DCI didn't want you to know, but Arthur happened to be there when Jai called requesting you read in. He pushed for your inclusion, before coming to talk to me about _us_. Good news is, you're on the team," she said with a half hearted cheer, considering how somber of a long-term mission it really was for her. "Definitely makes it better."

He smiled at that. "A fresh pair of eyes helping you out might work too, I might find things you haven't previously thought of once I get my hands on those files." Auggie took a sip of his coffee and it tasted great, richer than any other coffee. "I'm glad you asked for me to be read in, Bella. I know how hard this has been on you and I hope things will get better."

Taking up the stool beside him and pulling it close, she reached over for his hand, weaving her fingers in his. "I wanted to tell you so many times, but you know how it goes. The pressure just felt worse over the last week, especially while away when I just feel like it was something that could rip us apart and I don't want that. I'd rather avoid whatever trouble before it could come to pass."

He turned as he rubbed his thumb over her hand. "It's going to be alright. We're going to tear them apart into little pieces so that you can get closure and the freedom from them. I promise."

"When this is done and over with, perhaps we can take a page from Agent Walker's book and disappear to an island somewhere? Just you and I?" she asked.

He laughed at that. "Annie traveled before she joined, but yes. That's a great idea."

"We're entitled to a vacation," she huffed. "Sure, I had a two year one in Italy just about, not that I'm complaining, but I still was always on guard and defensive. Some life. I want to go somewhere for us."

"We will," Auggie agreed. "But for now, we're going to play hooky tomorrow and stay indoors all weekend," he said with a smirk. "Maybe only to get more booze. Or we could escape to the trails and go horse riding." He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. "Or maybe just stay here."

"Hmm, Ti tromebrei fino a quando nessuno dei due riesce a camminare," she murmured against his lips, her hands pushing the ugly blazer from the Smithsonian off. _(I'd rather fuck you until both of us cannot walk.)_

"Whatever that was, I'm sure that can be arranged," he smirked as he tugged on her shirt before deciding that if they'd stay on the stool that they'd definitely fall off and hurt themselves. He scooped her up as he got up and debated on where to go. The couch was the closest. Bed was the most comfortable. Bed it was.

He walked them into the bedroom and put her down on the bed with a big grin on his face. "I'm on top."

"Fine by me," she agreed as she pulled at his shirt. "You did make some promises for a home welcoming that I've been looking forward to since I called and I'm cashing in."

"The order may have changed, but that's okay, we've got all weekend," he grinned as he pulled his shirt off and heard her shed hers as well.

Her hand came up around his neck to pull him back down to her as she kissed him hungrily. Her free hand slip over his chest and down to his waistband, her fingers dipping underneath as she held him close to her, small moans escaping through her throat. "You know," she started as she broke away for air. "We both call out tomorrow, and it's as good as a confirmation. This will probably the last weekend truly to ourselves before everyone asks questions again before it dies down… I don't care."

"You don't want to call out tomorrow?" He asked as he kissed her neck. "You still have to file a report or something? Oh, wait… I can't… Annie's still in London…"

"Fucking work," she moaned, breathlessly, as her nails moved across the back of his shoulders and she began to undo his belt. "Work it is tomorrow. With any luck, we can sneak out early. I might know someplace where we can hide until the end of the work day."

"My office, going over your files," he muttered as he started to kiss his way down her chest, playfully biting her freed breast as his hands were opening her pants. "Doors closed, just you and me. Probably hung over," he chuckled against her stomach before removing her pants and taking her underwear with it.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've gone in like that," Bella replied as she looked at him and helped kick off her clothes. Sitting up on her elbows, she grinned. "You're still way too overdressed, sir. I take serious offense to that."

"My apologies," he got off the bed and dropped his pants. "Better?"

Her eyes roamed down his body, biting on her fingertip before silently making her way over to him. Her fingers grazed his hips before she sank to her knees and took him in her hands. Looking up at him, she took him in her mouth slowly, enjoying every inch of him.

"Oh!" He let out a laugh as he grasped for her shoulders to steady himself. He had not expected that! And oh, it felt so good, her lips around his cock, all thoughts of him fucking her forgotten - for now. "Oh, that… feels so good." He fought hard not to grab her head to keep her in place, but eventually buried his fingers in her hair.

She chuckled as she threw herself into giving him a very enthusiastic blow job. Bella's hand came up to run along his arm until it came to his body, reaching up and feeling everywhere on the way down.

Part one of a proper welcome home party had been successful; after Bella had blown him, he returned the favor, and it was glorious. The whole bed was shaking due to Bella's thrashing around and he had loved it.

After putting on some sweatpants, he went to the kitchen to make them food. While he had never been a great cook - even when he could still see, he had to admit that he had improved, simply because he had to take his time now and time everything to make sure it wasn't undercooked or burning. Or cutting himself with a knife when cutting up the vegetables.

Stirring awake after falling into a light nap after their activities and her recent travel, Bella smiled to herself as she thought about that had changed for her in such a short time. Reaching for his shirt on the floor, she pulled it on and made her way to the kitchen, sliding up behind him and running her hands around his waist and over his arm to still his hand that held the knife to avoid any accidents from her startling him. Her lips laid open mouthed kisses across his back, shoulder to shoulder, in greeting before she spoke. "I vote for we have home welcomings like that any time one of us goes away," she grinned.

"Oh, but I'm not done yet," he put the knife down and turned around to pull her into an embrace. "I am far from done with you, missy." He kissed her tenderly before giving her a slight nudge. "I'm going to finish cutting these up before we both pass out from manly hunger."

Laughing, Bella snuck a piece of carrot from the board and popped it in her mouth before she moved away from him, but couldn't help to blatantly eyefuck him as she went to her bag to retrieve her tablet to pull up something to read while she kept him company. She'd always known he was good looking, but hadn't ever considered that he would actually be hers in this sense. She would be lying to herself if she denied a crush on him when they first met but hadn't acted on it. Comfortable just remaining friends and it went away. So she thought.

Once he was certain he had everything chopped - Bella had stole a carrot, hadn't she? - he put them all in a big colander and moved to the sink to wash the carrot bits. She was looking at him, and he could only imagine how intense her gaze was, but he knew her. He had seen her gaze at men before, it was strange to be on the receiving end of it. He had always wanted to be on that receiving end. "See something you like, Swan?" He asked playfully as he filled a pan with water to start cooking the carrots.

"Very much, Anderson. I say we burn off the calories from dinner with some - rigorous exercise. Lots of cardio and flexibility training, in bed," she called out suggestively, her crossed legs hanging over the arm chair, ignoring her iPad on her lap.

Grinning, he continued to cook. "Or how about on that arm chair you're so deliciously gracing?"

She glanced down and smirked. "Anywhere you like, Anderson. We can even go in your car if you want to take it out for a run - but save that for another time. I just may take you on the kitchen floor."

"After dinner," he pointed out as he checked the time on his watch before he put a pan filled with water on the other hob and turned it on. He reached into the fridge to retrieve two chicken breasts, already cleaned by the butcher - he couldn't do everything by himself! - and opened a drawer with the spices.

There were braille labels on the jars and he found the chicken seasoning quite easily; chicken was good. That and steak were the only things he typically ate when cooking by himself because they were so easy to do.

As he was rubbing in the spices on the chicken, gently massaging it in with his fingertips, someone knocked on the door. "Uhm, are you decent enough to see who's on the other side of that door?"

"I'm in your shirt, and nothing else, Auggie," Bella answered as she moved to set her tablet on the table. "Literally."

He stopped what he was doing for a moment and took a deep breath. "Fuck," he eventually replied, his tiny ninja in just his shirt? Just his shirt and no underwear? Oh, he was so going to tease her when they were having their food and hope they could finish their meal before sliding to the floor and hitting a home run, again.

"I'm going to go to the bedroom and put some pants on," she muttered. "You'll have to get the door. I'll be right back."

He let out a cry of frustration as he turned to the tap and quickly cleaned his hands before walking to the door and sliding it open. "Yes?"

"Auggie," Joan stood patiently waiting, smiling as she eyed him curiously. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything - important."

"No, not really," he said as he stepped aside to let her in. "I was simply rubbing some spices on the chicken."

"Sounds delicious. I actually came by to bring some paperwork for you. Is Bella around? I missed her at the office after Arthur saw her. I had something to give her, considering she brings something for us all the time, but I figured I could bring it here, with the paperwork," she smiled, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Yeah, she'll be right out," he replied, a little bit confused that his boss would bring paperwork over. It must be important. "Excuse me," he said as he heard the water boil on the stove in both pans and went to turn it down.

"Of course. You should know, that this present, is also, in part for you as well," the woman shared as she set a gift bag on the counter. "If you like, you can inspect it. Let me know what she might think."

"What are you up to, Joan?" He snorted as he moved to see what she had brought. He reached into the bag and frowned, unable to distinguish the object and reached in with his other hand to get a better picture. "Is that…" A big grin appeared on his face as he withdrew his hands. "Wait a second… you know."

"If you want to keep something a secret, be careful of your topics of conversation on the company phone," she hinted with a smile. "As far as the paperwork, I'm sure you have an idea of what it is by now. I think you both would rather fill it out here rather than Langley, if I'm to assume you're _trying_ to keep this to yourselves for the time."

"Yeah, we are," he nodded. "It's new, you know. Different, but not so much. We like to enjoy this new thing together for a while, I can't help it that she slipped up."

Joan nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "Bella operates from her heart but she lets her head drive her. It's one of the reasons that makes her a good agent. Do try to get through this honeymoon phase of the relationship soon, because it is a distraction for her. You've been through a number of relationships Auggie. You know she hasn't had nearly as many serious ones."

"True, but this time it's different. It feels different. It feels right, you know. Not off. Nothing's off."

"I hope so, for both your sakes. Arthur may like you, but he still thinks of her like a daughter, and her father expects him to look after her like one as long as she works for the Agency. But, with you both filed, things should hopefully proceed more smoothly. Especially for her assignment now that I hear you've been read in?"

"Why are my ears burning?" Bella complained as she made her way into the kitchen, frowning slightly at seeing Joan. "Mom. I didn't break the vase. Jai did."

"I'll let you two talk, I need to tend to my chickens," Auggie grinned as he made his way back to the stove.

"What vase?" Joan replied as she rolled her eyes at her. "I brought you a gift."

Bella's eyes remained large and innocent. "Forget I said anything then," she smiled. "A present for me? Really?" she asked as she went for the bag, pulling out a Fisher Price farmer and plow. Blinking at it, she was confused. "The hell is this? I'm not pregnant or expecting children anytime in the near future."

"Oh, but you said you wanted to plow, or get plowed or something," Joan teased her with a broad smile on her face. "So I brought you a farmer and a plow."

Her mouth fell open, in shock and embarrassment as her face reddened. "Ohhh...fuck…" she let out, her eyes darting to Auggie. "I can explain…"

"Don't worry, the conversation has been deleted from the server. There were some technical difficulties during your phonecall to Auggie."

"Technical difficulties named Dad?" she questioned as she set the toy down, playing with the farmer's arm aimlessly.

"No, named Auggie, but we got a copy before he could completely ruin it," Joan eyed her tech operative as he stood there, grinning, over his hot pans.

"Okay. So, you and Dad know about us. You just visited to tease us?"

"No," Joan smiled at her and handed her paperwork. "This needs your signatures, both of your signatures. Figured you'd rather do it here than at Langley."

Bella eyed her as she opened the folder and blinked. "Oh wow. This certainly makes things bigger and official," she whispered as she looked at the documents. Most of everything was already filled out, suspiciously enough, and eyed her mother slash aunt.

"What? I know the both of you well enough to fill in those forms. Like I said, all it needs are signatures."

"Of course," she replied, moving to get a pen out of her bag and bit her lip as she signed her name across the papers. "Okay. Just need Auggie's John Hancock."

"I'm not going to sign something I haven't read yet," Auggie remarked from the kitchen. "Are you kidding me? What if she wants our first born to sacrifice to the CIA gods in a bloody ritual? Or my kidney?"

Joan shook her head as Bella brought the papers over to him. "For what it's worth, she brought a copy in braille. And with agents' luck, the CIA would likely try to get them to conceive on ops, then recruit the offspring. Aren't you happy I have an implant?"

"Yes. We can't risk setting another Jai loose on this world," he said as he skimmed the braille document with his fingers to see if there wasn't anything fishy going on. "I mean, with our combined looks and brains, the kid would practically be the perfect spy."

"You get no argument from me," Joan interrupted. "Though, Arthur and I would personally prefer to have someone to counter Bella's pranks with."

"Don't be going to make me a mother a week into our relationship," Bella snapped, her head whipping to glare at her. "I have nothing against kids, but that's a little too soon for anything. Don't you think?"

"You've been unofficially together for the last decade, try again," Joan winked at her.

Rolling her eyes as Auggie continued to review the papers, she frowned. "I've been out of the country and he's been married, and in a couple serious relations since. When have we been unofficial?"

"They weren't that serious," Joan huffed as she motioned to the papers. "He only signed one with Helen."

"Can we please not talk about her?" Auggie said as he finished reading the papers and found the pen. "Where do I sign?"

Bella nodded as she had been friends with Helen as well before showing him where his name was needed. "Of course," she said quietly, running her hand up and down his arm soothingly. Looking to Joan, she raised an eyebrow. "Everything at the office remains the same as far as the others are concerned. I don't care that you and Dad know, but I kinda enjoy everyone scratching their heads."

"Of course, it's just between us. I know you like to play with other people's minds," Joan said as she took the papers from Auggie. "I'll see the both of you at work tomorrow."

"Yep. Maybe we can have a family dinner one night," she suggested, looking up at him. "What do you think, Auggie?"

"Dinner with the bosses… Uh… pass?"

Laughing lightly. "You wouldn't be eating with the bosses. You'd be eating with my aunt and uncle - my back up parents," she pointed out. "I'll find a restaurant that's inconspicuous enough for the four of us."

"Why? You're not cooking then?" He teased her as he poured the cup of rice into the boiling water and threw the chicken breasts onto the grill.

"I can cook. I can make lasagna," she said happily and looked back over at Joan. "Dad and you can come over maybe next week or after if nothing is going on. Sound good? Some wine..."

"I'll let him know," Joan smiled widely.

"In laws! I never had to deal with them before!" Auggie whined. "I tend to avoid them."

"It's not like you don't know them, or don't know what to expect," Bella snorted and looked at her _mother_. "Thanks for everything. Really. We'll see you tomorrow," she said as she went to hug her.

"Good night you two, enjoy your dinner."

"Bye Joan," Auggie said as he carefully flipped the chicken and checked the time again on his watch. He heard the door slide open and close and let out a breath of relief. "What just happened?"

"I think we're officially classified a couple by the CIA, as being committed," Bella said as she leaned against the island. "At least that is what the papers I signed implied. I have no

regrets, but I don't care about that right now. New rule, especially now that work has officially encroached on our little bliss of paradise. The Agency, stays at the Agency. We leave work back at the office as much as possible. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great," he replied as he drained the carrots in a colander in the sink. "Can't promise anything though, but I think we could give that a try."

Bella smiled happily. She left it at that, knowing that in their line of work, it becomes your life and follows you home. Her life lead her to her work. "Anything you want me to do?"

"Yes, you can grab the plates so we can plate up our food."

"Sure," she smirked, moving to get everything, intentionally brushing up behind him and his ass in the process with each pass. "Excuse me."

"You tease," he grinned as he carefully moved with the cooked rice in the pan. "If only you knew what I have planned…"

Bella pursed her lips, fighting a smile while she set their plates on the counter. "Am I to hope that your plans require absolutely no clothing and the promise of death for the next person that knocks on the door to interrupt our night?"

"Ah, you know me so well," he said with a grin.

* * *

 **A/N: Many thanks, again, to** langsandlit **over at** tumblr **for the Italian.**


	9. Chapter 9

It were the tiny things that made life so much more fun for him. The sheer experience of having Bella in his life, every single day - or most of them, actually, made him feel something that he hadn't felt for a very long time. Probably never. It was intoxicating, but that settled after a few weeks together. Not entirely, but it still settled, and it was easier not to get sidetracked.

Bella had surprised him one night that she wanted to feel what it would be like if she couldn't see. She rationalized that living with him that being with him was inviting her into his world, but only able to stay at the door and she wanted in. There were no words that could fully explain how Auggie felt, how he saw, how he experienced things without his vision and even though she could see how he was doing, what Auggie was doing and how he did it, she wanted to experience it for herself.

So he blindfolded her.

He did it as a joke. He thought it was sweet that she wanted to see what he saw - or not seeing, it was something none of his previous girlfriends, flings, had asked of him and it had been a special, one-time deal only. He showed her how he moved around the apartment. He let her feel the tags in his clothes. He showed her around in the kitchen, even made her feel the tiny buttons on the coffee machine that he had given up on trying to figure out.

And then they had sex.

A couple of days after her experience, she asked him if it was inappropriate and disrespectful of her wanting to have their home a level playing field, with her not being able to see while she was at home when it was just the two of them. He thought that the hint of embarrassment in her voice was endearing and flattering at the same time. It wasn't easy not being able to see; it was something that had been forced upon him, and she wanted to do it voluntarily. For him.

He didn't want to ask that of her, and she told him that he hadn't. It was her choice, and she wanted to do it. Another reason for her to do it was that every time he cooked or made her coffee on his own machine was that she wanted to take things like that out of his hands while he was more than capable of doing it by himself.

So unless she were on her laptop or making coffee on the fancy coffee maker, she'd wear a blindfold.

He was pretty sure that she was covered in bruises after the first week. Loads of stubbed toes and bumping into things, and yet she didn't give up. She had the opportunity to fool him by taking off the blindfold and pretend, but she didn't. She was determined to struggle until she'd be able to do it. Just like he had to learn everything, she was going to be patient and learn it all too.

It made her realize that sometimes when she was trying to help him, she wasn't. It made her understand him a lot better; it also made her understand his responses a lot better. Sure, she had a psychology degree and could give great insights, but now her ideas could come from experience. Meet him halfway, or even all the way.

Auggie thought it was beautiful. A beautiful thing.

It was a good thing that Bella and Jai were currently on a fishing expedition in Brussels because Bella would have hurt Annie for her behavior. After Sri Lanka, Guam and everything that happened with Ben Mercer - damn him, she threw herself right back into work, and he feared that the happenings were affecting her judgment. She was gravitating over the line between paranoia and intuition, and she could really mess things up for herself, or for the asset that she believed was in danger.

Or was it a good thing? After her assignment, Joan sent her to France to cultivate an asset and Jai and Bella were going to follow her there from Brussels. It meant that Bella wasn't coming home for another week and that he was now all alone with both his friends overseas. It sucked, and all he could do was wait at his desk while he worked on other projects and be amused by Joan's invitation for jury duty.

Joan could easily pull some strings to get out from underneath it, and yet, she was going through with it and head for the selection because she 'wouldn't be selected' anyway but wanted to go because it was her civic duty. He thought it was optional. Worse of all; she was going to leave the DPD in his hands while she was gone. Not that he couldn't handle it or that he wasn't welcoming it, it was just that he was already so busy and to fill in for Joan scared him shitless.

"Somebody remind me again why we are babysitting Blondie?" Bella commented as she stared at the woman's reflection in the shop window before finding herself distracted by the coat on display.

"Because she's never cultivated an asset like this before," Jai reminded her kindly. "And because according to Auggie, she's been behaving a little bit erratic since her return."

"Her boyfriend dumped her again without so much as a fuck you. She's allowed to be inconsistent and pissed off," she murmured, having been in a similar position. "I want that coat. You stay here and wait for me," she smiled up at him, patting him on the cheek before slipping into the shop.

Jai sighed and leaned against the wall as he looked at the street and the people on it. Women and clothes, a dangerous combination.

A few doors down, across the street, Annie left the store she had been in with her targeted asset and begun walking in their direction. It hadn't been long, but Bella soon exited the shop with a large bag on her arm and a smile on her face. "Sorry. I just really liked that coat," she blushed as she made her way to his side, looking down to check her purse that she had everything before they moved on.

"That's okay," he smiled at her and offered his arm. "We need to cross the street; they're heading our way."

She grinned as she wrapped her arm around his and leaned into him as they moved to avoid the two women. "What shall we see next while we are in town? Certainly need to make the most of the trip while we can. Lord knows someone else is," she hinted knowingly.

"Well, have you ever been to the Louvre? Or maybe climb the Eiffel Tower?"

"Like our friend, I've never been here. I'd have liked to have come here with Auggie but… sightseeing isn't as fun. I feel bad as it is because I can't share the city with him as it should be," she admitted as she gazed out at the sun. "The tower sounds fun."

"Why not? Just because he's blind, doesn't mean you can't sightsee," Jai said with a light chuckle as he steered them into the direction of the tower. "He goes on holidays on his own and sightsee. There's a jazz festival in Istanbul that he likes to go to, for example."

She looked thoughtful as she considered what he said, laying her head on his shoulder as they walked. She hadn't thought of it that way, even with the changes in her life she had made for him. Smiling, Bella started planning potential ideas for his birthday or a weekend getaway.

"I mean, you and I are blessed with good vision, we use our eyes to enjoy things, but if you'd have him up on that Eiffel Tower, he'd tell you that Paris is beautiful. He takes in everything by smell and sound. He would feel the vibration of the metal tower due to the wind even better than you and I ever could."

"I'll have to plan something special for him when later. I think I have some direction now. Thanks, Jai," she replied, hugging him closer.

"You're welcome," he smiled smugly. "Go bungee jumping or something."

"Uh, no," Bella scoffed. "I already went skydiving once with him. Don't care for a repeat of that."

"But you're attached to a wire when you go bungee jumping, not a lot of wiggle room there," Jai grinned. "What happened? Wait, was this at the Farm? That little incident?"

"Little incident my ass," she muttered, glaring away.

"Then maybe we shouldn't go up the tower, you might throw up all over me," he laughed as he looked across the street. Annie was alone now and on her phone, likely to Auggie. "Let's grab some food instead."

Bella eyed the woman and sighed. "Sure. And for the record, it wasn't because of the height. I've gone cliff diving back home plenty of times. I just had bad food the night before, no thanks to him."

Jai took her to a brasserie after Annie took off and ordered them coffee while they looked at the menu. "You know, I get the idea why Joan would want us to babysit and be a team with Annie and Auggie, but it's seriously constricting us with our own jobs. I'd rather be stateside."

"I'd rather be stateside too. I just got my job set up again at the Smithsonian. Luckily, it didn't take much and there were a few faces there that still recognize me from my last stretch, so it helps."

"We should call Auggie for an update," Jai said as he took his phone out and dialed his number while putting him on speaker.

" _If it isn't my least favorite person… wait, am I on speaker?"_

"Yes, you are. How's Annie doing?"

" _Oh, great. She's taking her new friend to the party tonight."_

"Party?" Bella asked.

" _Art, black tie event. You have invitations in your email, aren't you checking your emails?"_

She snorted and took a sip of her tea. "We are in Paris, Auggie. I may not be nearly as bad as Annie, but I - sometimes get distracted by the pretty. We just stopped for lunch. It got boring watching her shop all morning."

" _You're still working. Emails are efficient. As long as you're paying for the pretty yourself, you're golden. Don't want Joan to have a coronary when she returns because Annie spent 6000 euros on a bag to make a new friend."_

Bella spat out her tea, almost getting it over Jai across the table. "How much? We're here almost a week and I bought myself one coat and two dresses while being stuck on her tail. We've seen her come out of almost every shop with a bag on her arm. Holy fuck!" she snapped, looking around for anyone overhearing. "Forget a coronary. Joan is going to murder her. She's going to be the next star on the wall!"

" _I'll just file a request to deduct it from her salary and Joan will be happy,"_ Auggie said, amusement evident in his voice. " _Check your email for those invites. Buy a new dress or whatever. Suit."_

"And I paid for my own things… Yeah, yeah. This new dress is on work's dime right?" she hinted as she grinned at Jai.

" _Yes."_

"Anything else we need to know, Auggie?"

" _Not really. I'm quite busy at the moment now that Joan's out of the office. She left me in charge because she wants to do her civil duty and not get chosen for jury duty. If she gets chosen, I'm going to laugh so hard."_

"Why would she-"

" _Exactly! I tried to talk her out of it, but you know her."_

"Enough. We have preparations for tonight now and this is wasting valuable time. You gave me a reason to go into Parisian shops and while I'm not a fan of shopping, you don't exactly turn an offer like this down when someone else is paying. I'll call you later," she said as she reached over and disconnected the call. Looking at her friend, she smirked. "You coming with or you going back to the hotel?"

"I have a tux packed and ready to wear," Jai said, clearly entertained. "I'm going to order food and then I'm going to do some sightseeing while you shop and then head back to the hotel."

She checked her watch before searching through her phone for the email her boyfriend mentioned. "Can you pick something up for me on your way back? I should be done by then. It's one dress, really. How hard can it be?"

"What do you need?"

Hesitating, she bit her lip. "Time. I don't want to pick just any dress and go. I get to keep it, so if I go to another event and have to wear it again, I want something I like," she answered though her tone had a hint of vagueness.

"I understand, but what do you need me to pick up for you?"

"Food," she blinked.

Jai laughed and nodded. It was clear that she was already suffering from the 'woman in spending mode' syndrome. "I'll pick up some food for you. Have fun."

~o.O.o~

Bella and Jai walked in, arm in arm. Looking around, she let out a dramatic sigh. "I have to hand it to you. I don't know how you were able to stomach so many of these events with your father growing up," she murmured. "I'd have gotten my dad's gun, and shot him. By him, I mean, yours."

"Quite easy, the trick is to head straight for the bar and stay there all night," Jai smiled at her and gently pat her arm. She looked gorgeous; Auggie would have gotten a heart attack if he could have seen her like this. "However, since this is an art institution and there is actual art on the walls, brush up and look at them."

Snatching a flute of champagne from a passing waitress, she smiled. "Of course, Darling. As you wish," she replied before gliding off and disappearing into the crowd to look at art and subtly listen in on conversations.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A familiar voice said from next to her. "The subtlety of the lines on the canvas, the way they curve and highlight every important aspect…"

Bella's breath let out slowly through her nose as she smiled. "I suppose. However, I believe it's more a matter of opinion. One that can be misconstrued and known to result in fractured noses."

Eyal smirked and pointed at the painting. "I doubt that the painting could give me a fractured nose unless it's wielded by someone quite strong," he mused. "However, you do look exquisite, _nashama_."

She looked around for anyone in immediate earshot, and Jai, before glaring at him. "Cut the _nashama_ crap. You know I don't like it, and I made that quite clear the last time I was forced to work with you. Why are you here?" she demanded.

"I am working," he said with a smile on his face. "I haven't seen you for quite some time; I must say that I was worried."

"I've been out of touch," she answered evasively, a shrug of the shoulder to dismiss it. "Sorry, I forget to send you a postcard."

Jai made his way over from the bar to join Bella and protectively put his arm around her as he looked at the Mossad agent. "We can't even have a holiday without you showing up?" He asked the man before planting a kiss on top of Bella's head. "You alright, sweetheart?"

"Just peachy. I'd be better if I weren't so worried about getting my dress bloodied," she murmured under her breath just loud enough for both men to hear as she kept her eyes on Eyal. "He's here working," she smiled mischievously.

"Then he should leave us alone, since we're not," Jai said, not taking his eyes off of Bella. "In all honesty, I hate it that you insisted for us to go here, I'd rather rip off that dress in the hotel room," he teased her.

Eyal blinked. "Enjoy your holiday. Forget you ever saw my face," he said quickly before walking off, red faced.

"Asshole," she grumbled before turning to look up at her friend. "And you!" Bella started, her mouth open in shock. "Could have laid it on a little heavier. He'll be back before the night is over."

Jai couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, but your actual boyfriend might want to kill me if he ever finds out about this and boy, for a blind guy, he knows exactly where to punch to make it hurt even worse."

"That's my man," she commented proudly. "Catch anything here yet? Besides Israeli roaches?"

"Not yet. Annie came in with her friend, she's at the bar right now," Jai said as he looked over his shoulder. "And the roach has found her, it seems."

"$100 says they're working the same asset," Bella bet as she turned to take a look for herself. "Only question is what he has in this."

"Well, the asset is worth cultivating. No doubt he threw his charms at her. I'll see your 100 and add 50 bucks for the potential boyfriend."

She watched on for a minute and sighed. "No need. You'd win. It's his M.O. Well, that or violence. As friendly and charming he may be, he has a lot of anger in him that he uses his job to get out. He's a liability and our friend is going to get caught up sooner or later."

"Perhaps, or she could make it into a perfect work relationship. Our friend has some screws loose in her head anyway."

Bella didn't want to give away what she knew about the man, what personal details he had revealed to her over the time they've known and had to work together. "She needs to walk on glass around him, regardless. She will get burned by his actions, and he will sell her out to save his hide," she warned with a sigh and turned away to look out to the ballroom.

"Let's dance," Jai said as he took her hand and gently pulled her towards the dancefloor. "Have some fun."

She let him guide her, sliding her arms up to his shoulders. "There is one thing about these events. The food is fantastic, and I can't complain about the company tonight, infestations aside."

He smiled at her. "The art world can be quite a fancy party, yes," he agreed. "And unfortunately, infestations are part of the job."

"You know," she grinned as she leaned in closer as they danced. "You never did tell me what your father thought of my present I sent him. He must love it."

"I try to stay out of my father's business; you know that," he muttered in her ear. "But I promise that the next time I'm at his place, and he's not, I'll mount it to the front door."

"Pictures. Oh, I need pictures of that. Please?" Bella begged as turned her eyes up to him. "If you could get video of his reaction, that would just be the icing."

"Bella? Is that you?" a male voice sounded surprised. Jai narrowed his eyes on the man as he straightened himself and pulled her closer.

Her eyes fell closed as she sucked in a breath. "Fucking hell," she muttered to herself as her nails dug into his arms. "I come home after a year only to need to find a damn exterminator." Turning around, she kept her face carefully neutral as she took in the pair she hadn't seen in person since high school. "Emmett. Rosalie," she acknowledged, who stood silently beside him.

"Wow, you look great!" He said excitedly as he looked over to his wife. "Doesn't she, Rose?"

Rosalie gave her a soft smile and nodded. "Yeah, you do," she agreed as she took in the sight of the girl, then the man who held her. "Are you living in France now?"

"We're on a vacation," Jai replied as he extended his hand towards them. "Hi, Jai Wilcox. Always good to meet my girlfriend's friends."

Emmett happily shook his hand and looked like he wanted to hug Bella, but she remained glued to Jai's side as she stared at them. "Likewise. You have a great girl here. My brother was a real dick, still is, but hey! That's family, right?"

"Emmett," Rose warned. "We made an agreement that we wouldn't talk about them whenever we're away from the family."

"You live in the States? It's just that Bella rarely talks about things," Jai said pleasantly, gently squeezing Bella's side to remind her to breathe.

Bella let out a sigh and turned her head away from the two to his shoulder but only enough that they still heard. "With good reason," she huffed, before glaring back. "Don't tell me that you haven't heard that I've been traveling Europe from Alice after my run in with her and her blond Puli in London."

"You've seen Alice?" Emmett blinked. "Was she alright? Did she look okay?"

"We're not due to come home for another month or so," Rosalie explained as she shrugged. "While we're traveling, we don't have any contact with the rest of the family. Nice and quiet."

She narrowed her eyes at them and nodded. "Alice was the same yapping chihuahua that she was in high school. It took about all the restraint I had not to shove the heel of my shoe into her eye socket."

Emmett chuckled. "That's my Bella!"

"She's mine if you haven't noticed," Jai deadpanned, pulling Bella even closer to him.

"Now, there's no need to go all neanderthal on me... yet. You'll have to wait," she smiled up at him.

"We were thinking about disappearing completely, find some remote village in Alaska or something," Rosalie muttered. "But they'll find us wherever we go."

Bella looked over at them, wrapping her arm around Jai and her fingers digging into his waist. "I heard Sri Lanka is pretty nice. Last I knew, they didn't have any business that far out. And it's not cold."

Jai looked at her, surprised. She used to constantly rage about the Cullens and their entire family, and now she was willing to throw these two a bone? Or maybe she wanted to turn them. With them in Sri Lanka, they'd know at all times where at least two Cullens hung out. "Sri Lanka is wonderful," Jai agreed. "I've done some business there, the beaches are endless, and the food is to die for."

"Really? I'll have to look into it. I would have to find a way of getting us there, secretly, of course. In time. We still have to make our obligatory family appearance next month but right after I plan to start looking and will take your advice and look at that area," Rose said looking a little too hopeful.

"You know what," Jai said as he fumbled in his pocket to retrieve his business card. "Should you need some help, call me. I have contacts there, and I'm sure we can figure something out."

Bella cleared her throat and glared at him after he handed off the card, raising an eyebrow.

"Or you could call Bella at the Smithsonian," he said as he took the card back and scribbled the number on the back of it. "I think it's better to call her; she is the best at planning secret escapes." He then looked at her and winced.

Emmett couldn't help but chuckle at the quick turnabout. "She's already got your balls in a vice, don't she? You're as good as married to her if she has that look down. Good luck with that little spitfire."

"Why do you think jockstraps and cups are on our wedding registry?" Jai said amused.

Bella opened her mouth as he just dug them in deeper with their role he'd already carved for them and let out a breath. Closing her eyes, she knew Auggie was going to blow a gasket, but the words were spoken.

"You're getting married?" Emmett said enthusiastically. "Oh wow, that is great, Bella!"

"We haven't made any announcements so if you see anyone, kindly keep the news to yourselves. I haven't even shared this with my own dad yet because I was hoping to do so in person the next time I go home," she explained, driving her nails into Jai's hip deeper.

Jai sighed when Bella's phone went off. "I swear, if that's the Smithsonian, I'm going to go over there and thank them for interrupting our holiday. Again."

"I didn't bitch at you when your job called us away from an exciting lunch," she glared at him as she answered. "Hello...? Mr. Anderson..."

" _Oh, I like it when you call me Mr. Anderson,_ " Auggie grinned at the other end. " _Say, Annie called me to tell me that Eyal is at the party and that he seems to be cultivating our asset, anything you can do about it?"_

Bella reached up to brush off some invisible dirt from Jai's jacket and smiled mockingly. "Unfortunately, for all the guff the city gives, we have experienced a pest control problem. They do need to call for an exterminator that specializes in pesticides. What can I do for you, Sir?"

Auggie sighed. "You can't talk freely, can you?"

"No."

"Are you in trouble? Need me to call Annie?"

Bella looked up at Jai, then over at Emmett and Rosalie. "No? Do you remember that broach that you gifted me in the office Christmas party? It goes lovely with the dress for this event…"

"Bella, I don't really have the time to listen in, if you can't help, I'll have to disturb Joan in court."

"I just thought you really would like to know. It came in quite handy, unexpectedly," she said, sounding as bored as she could.

"Fine. Give me a moment; I need to call Joan too."

"Joan is a big girl and can take care of herself. What is the problem?"

"Eyal is the problem! We probably need more money to buy the asset, seeing how they work."

Her eyes grew large at that and looked up at Jai. "And how much was the asking price for the painting?" she asked. "How much did acquisitions jack it up at the auction?"

"I don't know, but we probably need double."

"I need a number."

"Let's just say that I need to set up a line of credit in case Annie goes into a bidding war. Basically, bottomless pit."

She let out a groan and shoved the heel of her hand to her forehead. "No painting is worth that much. I don't care who made it. Joan is going to have her head. Where is she that she can't be dealing with this herself?"

"Court date, I told you. I'm in charge, but I need her approval for this. Or actually, I don't. But yeah."

"Call Arthur."

"Fine. Talk to you later and your broach has been activated and is recording."

"Yeah. Let me know what the final number was and that it doesn't come out of my budget. I seriously need a bottle of Jack after this," she groused before hanging up. "Someone is in trouble," she sang as she looked up at Jai with sparkling eyes.

"Wait, was this about that French painting you told me about? The one, you and your colleagues, basically drooled over?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I know enough to walk away when the price goes above what we're allowed to use company money on," she insinuated. "She doesn't. So, we may be overpaying for something that might not even be the real thing until we get it authenticated."

"I always admired that in you," Rosalie smiled at Bella. "Your way with people, standing your ground. Knowing when enough is enough."

"Yeah, well, I was more or less forced into this by his brother. Don't get me wrong; I like who I am now, but if I could change high school, I would light that bastard on fire the moment I laid eyes on him. It's been ten years now, and he hasn't bothered me so I can't say that I'm still mad. I've moved on, but Alice was rather insistent on being more friendly than I wanted to be with her. Make no mistake, and if you see her, you can express my feelings. She and I are not friends. Nor will we ever be."

"Are you kidding me? Emmett nearly has to tie me up whenever we meet with the family because Alice makes me want to claw my eyes out," she responded as she apologetically looked at him. "I'm sorry honey, but you know how she grinds my gears."

"It's fine. I can take only so much, and she's my sister. Why do you think I'm so eager for our extra long vacations?" he asked with a shrug. Looking at Bella, he was sincere as he had a pained look in his eyes. "We visit wherever we could, using the excuse of traveling the world, just short of some relatives in Italy. You remember that summer. Haven't been back there since."

"Well, you have our numbers," Jai said with a smile. "If you feel like you want to stop running, we can help you disappear in Sri Lanka."

"Thank you. We'll be in touch," Rose smiled, pulling on Emmett's arm. "We should move along and let you back to your evening. And congratulations."

"Yeah! Congratulations on your impending marriage, taming Bella isn't easy, but you look like a decent enough guy!" Emmett grinned as he allowed himself to be pulled away.

Jai smiled and nodded. "Thank you. It - hasn't been easy," he assured him. "Come on, Dear. I think we could use a drink after that little reunion."

"We are going to be in trouble…" Bella's phone rang again, for some reason, the sound was sounding even more insistent than before. Answering it, she held it up to her ear, biting on her lip and said nothing as she waited. She already knew who it was with the timing.

" _Wedding! You two undercover and you're engaged?! Couldn't you have thought of something else!"_

"Blame Jai. Once it came out of his mouth in front of them, I didn't know what else to say so I went along with it. I was too busy trying to figure out what angle they were acting in the family."

" _And are we seriously going to help them go into hiding? Oh man, Joan is going to kill me."_

She let out a sigh and rested her head in her hand once they reached the bar. "I don't know. At least, with us sticking them somewhere, we know where two of them are. The way it sounds, they want nothing to do with the rest so there is a chance that maybe we can turn them. Rosalie, I'm sure, but Emmett can go either way. Family versus his wife."

" _Endless Long Island Ice Teas are waiting for you when you return. And tell Jai that he better not show his face at work."_ Auggie said after a moment of silence. " _I caught Annie walking off with Eyal and Selma; you're free to do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Maybe seal the deal on your engagement."_

"Well you know that isn't going to happen. Why the hell are you pissed at me?" she snapped.

" _Because I have you on the phone and not Jai!"_

"Yeah, well, as his friend, I'm going to play Devil's advocate and not put him on and tell you the God's honest truth, in that I insisted you listen in on. Because what was supposed to be a fun evening, babysitting, turned into work for us. You think I was happy about the turn, and the details that we have to play out when they show face again?" she whispered into the phone.

" _No, of course not. I am sorry,"_ he let out a breath. " _Look, I've booked you return flights for tomorrow, Annie can handle the rest; the asset should be a done deal unless something strange happens tonight."_

Bella's eyes narrowed. "Okay… Do you want to talk about this when I get home? Because this honestly was just work. When it crossed a line, not just to them, I wanted you in, so you knew it was only work."

"No, I'm good. I know all of this. Of course, it's just work. It just frustrates me that I'm stuck here and I can't be in the field with you, or Jai, for that matter. I'm in way over my head here at work, and I'm sorry that I snapped. And the flights were booked after your lunch, so don't think that I booked those flights because I don't like your cover story."

"It's fine. Why don't you take a break and get some coffee downstairs? Other people can answer for you for fifteen minutes while you get your head on straight," she reassured him. "And I got the email about the flights when we arrived at the party."

"Ah, so you do check your email then," he said with a grin. "Enjoy your last night in Paris and I promise you, I'll make up for my outburst when you get home."


	10. Chapter 10

As promised, he made his outburst up to her when she came home. He had packed them both of them a bag and was waiting for her to come back so he could whisk her away, jetlagged or not.

They spent the entire weekend at one of the trails, and he had even made sure that they both had Monday off so that they didn't feel like they had to hurry. It was nice to take the time, ride horses and enjoy the view.

At first, Bella told him that he was insane, that he couldn't ride a horse. She had loved their fantasizing back in Algeria, but how on Earth would he be able to ride a horse? As it turned out, it was quite simple. Her horse was going to lead his horse, and she only had to make sure to call out for low hanging branches.

The weekend had been awesome, but when they returned to work on Tuesday, a phone call was waiting on the Smithsonian line. With both Annie and Bella - and himself, and many others - using it as a NOC, he wasn't too concerned by answering it. "Smithsonian, how may I direct your call?"

" _Bella Swan, please,"_ the voice sounded Texan. Fuck. Auggie immediately knew who it was.

"One moment, please," he replied, putting the man on hold and got up from his desk to go to Bella's. She was there; his laser cane told him there was a shape on a shape at a shape. "Hey."

Looking up from her report, Bella pulled the pencil she'd been gnawing on out of her mouth. "Hey, back. It's…" she looked at her clock. "Not time for lunch yet. What's up?"

"Jasper Whitlock is on the Smithsonian line. I put him on hold. I could easily make him go away if you don't want to talk to him."

She blew out a breath through her cheeks. "He was looking to turn me into an asset back in London. If he only knew just how close he had a pair in his grasp if he used other methods." Eying her phone, her face pinched in debate on how to proceed. "Ugh. I better take it. You want to listen in?"

"If you want me to. You could also use my office if you want some privacy, I don't have much going on at the moment anyway."

Glancing around, she hummed her agreement. Reaching out to brush her hand along his until she stood, she locked her computer. "Probably a good idea. Lead the way, Mr. Anderson."

He smiled widely as he started towards his office. "I'm so glad that you didn't have to leave again today."

"You and me both. For once, I'd rather work come to me, though the way it's sounding, I may be speaking a little too soon," she complained as she pushed his door open. "Think he's trying to turn me again?"

"He might, or maybe he just wants to see if you have some information he could use."

Smirking, she sat on the edge of the desk. "Or maybe he's calling to congratulate Jai and me on our engagement. That is if the news got back to the family with Emmett's big mouth."

"I hope not," he said as he closed his door and sat down in his chair. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be when it comes to this family," she muttered, before reaching over to press the line for her Smithsonian NOC. "Isabella Swan."

" _Good morning, Miss Swan, this is Jasper Whitlock. We met in London?"_

"Whitlock...Whitlock… Oh, yes. The puli with the chihuahua on his heels. I remember. How are you, Mr. Whitlock?" Bella responded. "You must forgive me. I forgot to get your girlfriend's address, otherwise, I would have been sure to send her some treats in the mail."

" _She… well… a package did arrive at their vacation home in Italy…"_ He sounded dumbfounded. " _Anyway, I am in DC, would you like to go for a coffee with me?"_

She raised an eyebrow. Keeping her tone light, she drew it out. "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much. He really is the jealous sort. Can't be seen running around town with another man, now can I?"

" _Ah yes, Emmett told me you got engaged, congratulations."_

"He was never able to keep a secret to himself," she sighed irritably. "I imagine it's not coffee you are after, Whitlock."

Auggie was gripping the edge of his chair, his knuckles white. He hated this op. He hated it, he hated it with a passion and wanted to set fire to it.

" _Well, I believe we got off on the wrong foot in London. I'd like to try again."_

"You're not getting in my pants, and I'm not giving you any information that you don't already have. You're practically engaged to a blabbermouth. Just screw her and be done with it."

" _I'd like to explain to you why I need your help, in full detail, and I promise you, at the end of the talk, you'll be more than willing to throw me a bone."_

"I have a few boxes of Milk Bone here I've been meaning to donate to the shelter. How about I just package it up and give you to take home to your girlfriend, and I never see either of you again?" she suggested. "I like my idea better already."

" _You could bring along your fiancé."_

Even though the relationship was fake, it only pissed her off on principle. "And you want to get him tangled up in that mess? What game are you playing? I don't know how you people at the FBI operate, but if there is anything I learn from books, television, or even history, you are so far off book it's pathetic. Somehow I don't think your superiors would be pleased with your behavior if they knew the way you been going after me."

" _You were an opportunity I couldn't pass up on. Nor could it wait. But, now that I'm stateside, I want to tell you what's going on and sincerely apologize for London,"_ he then slightly chuckled. " _What can I say? I'm desperate."_

Bella looked to Auggie and reached over to tap his hand. "Look. You called me at work, and I've entertained you long enough. How about I get back to you if I decide to hear you out. I have work I need to finish and plans."

" _I could drop by for lunch?"_

"Good luck with that. If you can find anyone willing to tell you anything about me, I'll buy you a pint. Fair deal?"

Auggie smiled and shook his head. She was going to have to have that pint with Jasper, and she didn't even know it.

" _Game on. Talk to you soon."_ Jasper then disconnected.

Auggie turned to Bella and pulled her off the desk, closer to him. "Now, tell me, how could you be so stupid?" He asked playfully.

"What do you mean? I made friends there that know if anyone besides my father comes looking for me, that I am never there. Stalker history, and what not," she explained, confused.

"Yes, and today Annie's working at the Smithsonian to show her face, re-establish her position."

Realization dawned on her face and slapped herself on the forehead. "He was too confident. Fuck. You and Jai are so coming with me to the Tavern for this shit. I'm so not doing this alone."

"We're not going to the Tavern for this! He could show up unannounced when we're having fun. No way. We'll have to find a place near the Smithsonian."

She moved to punch him in the shoulder hard. "Asshole," she grunted and turned to pace the length of his office. "You could have tried warning me. Ugh… There's a bar about a mile down the road that a lot of staff there hit for lunch. We can use that."

Sure enough, the Smithsonian line went off again. "Miss Walker! How can I help you?"

"I'll add her to my list of people to stab in the eye," Bella announced loudly.

" _What did I do?"_

"Nothing, what can I do for you?"

" _There's this FBI agent looking for Bella. I think she should come down and have lunch with him, so he doesn't get the wrong idea."_

"That's not nothing, Auggie," Bella piped up. "I thought she was trained to keep secrets. Not blab to the enemy."

" _He said to meet him at Lento's, it's a bar near the Smithsonian,"_ Annie said, unfazed by the threats. " _And sure, I could have been all evasive about you, but he recognized me from London. So there wasn't a lot that I could do."_

She returned to the phone and leaned over the desk. "Simple. Tell him you will pass the message along and walk away. He's involved with my op."

" _All the more reason to go, you deserve closure on this."_

"No offense Walker, but you don't have room to be talking to me about closure, and you don't know anything about my assignment…"

"Ladies," Auggie said calmly. "We're going to have lunch. Well, Jai, Bella and I are. Nothing else we can do about it. It'll be fine."

" _Why can't I go?"_

"Because you're not read in, bye Annie," Auggie said quickly before disconnecting the call. "You're just making friends all over the place, aren't you, Bella?"

"Auggie?" Bella started, her fingers dancing along his demurely while leaning down to whisper in his ear. "If you expect to get laid anytime in the near future, I suggest you stop while you're ahead."

"I'm just teasing you," he smiled at her and gently pat her hand. "Let's find Jai and make our way down there."

~o.O.o~

Bella was not at all pleased when she walked into the restaurant with Auggie and Jai. What made it worse was that she had to pretend to be with another man while the one she was in an actual relationship with had to sit and listen without interfering.

He didn't like this, not one bit. Especially if Jasper would want Jai to sit with her, leaving him alone at the bar, seething. Yes, he knew that it was part of the op and whatnot and that they were all just playing their parts, but it didn't mean he had to like it. He found an empty chair at the bar and sat down on it.

Bella paused as she looked around the dining room. "Jai? Why don't you stay with Auggie for now. I want to see just how much he's going to tell me first, but you both are more than welcome to join in whenever you like. I don't give a rat's ass about his case. It was ours first."

"Exactly. If anything, we can have him removed from the case. But let's try to keep your cover intact, huh?" he smiled at her. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, because mine don't work," Auggie snarked from his seat at the bar.

"I'll make up for that later," she assured him with a smile before she turned to head for the table that Jasper Whitlock was seated at. Frowning her displeasure about being there as she looked upon him, she rounded the table to sit against the wall. "So you got me here."

"I did, didn't I?" Jasper smiled at her as he sat down after having gotten up for her to sit down like a real gentleman. "I see you brought some CIA back up. Are you CIA?" He responded as he nodded to Jai. "And if I'm not mistaken that's Captain Anderson. I always wondered where he'd gone off to."

Not breaking her composure, she had to give Jasper some kudos for being so observant. "Auggie was indeed a Captain, but he's our IT guy at the Smithsonian. We're great friends. As for Jai… he runs an import and export business. No idea where you got the CIA idea from. That job sounds far too exciting for him. And I should know, I'm engaged to him."

"Are you sure?"

Bella lifted her hand and looked at the ring they pulled out for her cover. She hated it but wiggled her fingers with a smile. "Fairly certain that's what that means when one says yes after having a diamond put on her finger."

"Nice," Jasper nodded. "Impressive."

"He really is a bad FBI agent," Jai muttered to Auggie. "Trying to out me in public like this?"

"Relax, you're in capable hands," Auggie replied as he sipped on his coffee.

She smiled as she set her chin in her hands, her large, extravagant ring on display for him. "That's what I said too. But that's not what you called me here for, or harassed my colleagues to get information to get me here. I believe I made my opinion about that family clear in London."

"London was particularly messy, and you have. Now allow me to tell you that I wholeheartedly agree with you. They're the most conniving, self-absorbed family that I've ever met and the most paranoid at that," he said with a pout. "And I drew the short straw in the office seeing as my superior thought I'd be able to do a fast in and out, but it's been months and I still don't know anything."

Bella continued to smile at him knowingly. "And you're linked up with the biggest mouth of them, but because of your ties, you can't cross the line. Is it true? The FBI can't sleep with its sources for information?"

"Some lines shouldn't be crossed, ma'am," he laughed, shaking his head. "They're there for our protection."

"And here I thought you were Texan. Go big or go home. Maybe you should pack it in. You're in over your head."

"I figured I was; that's why I want you to be my source of information," he winked at her. "You've gotten close. You know how they work, how they operate."

The smile on her face dropped. "I was a teenager that simply saw too much and as an adult, have no wish to revisit. You have some balls coming and stirring up memories that deserve to stay buried in the past. Your problem is not mine."

"I can make it worth your while. All I want is some information that could bring them down for good and they won't ever harass you again."

She sat back and eyed him. "What's in it for me? How do I know you aren't a lying sack of shit like every other one of that family?"

He looked at her for a moment and shrugged. "You don't, but I guess you'll just have to trust me that I have nothing but the purest intentions and that I will make sure you are protected."

"Trust you? I don't know you. You can't protect me. I doubt you can protect a goldfish the way you keep chasing after me for a breadcrumb. Here's a gift for you. They all hate each other. Right down to the cousins. Do with it what you will, but that family is toxic, and anyone that gets involved gets poisoned."

Jasper was quiet as he looked at the bar, seeing that familiar face next to Anderson's, and now the blonde, Annie, had walked in, and he shook his head. "I don't want to burst your bubble, Peaches, but it seems like you're already getting played."

"It's a matter of perspective," she smiled as she blinked at him.

"Your coworker, blondie? She's definitely CIA. The way she's sitting there, all alert, watching us… at least your fiancé tries hard not to look that intense."

"You've practically demanded his fiancé to meet with you, through a third party. Forcing said girlfriend to come to a meeting about her ex-boyfriend and his family, which I would classify under duress, and insistent on getting information from me when I clearly don't want to go back to my past. He has just reason to look intense of a proposed threat to his fiancé. Are you sure you're an FBI agent? Because you're rather paranoid. Perhaps you're the CIA agent."

He smiled at that. "Well played," he got to his feet and nodded. "Very well, I will take this as a loss. Please be safe. They're all heading to Forks in a couple of weeks, Alice and I were sent ahead to make the house ready."

Her face froze at his words and she fought hard not to look over to her friends, to Auggie. "Forks? They are going to Forks?" she repeated, glancing away as she thought about her father now that they knew she was around and Cullens sniffing out her name.

"Get over to her," Auggie quietly coaxed Jai. "She sounds upset."

"Already on it," he said as he got off the chair and walked to Bella. "Babe, are you okay?"

"I want to go home," she murmured as she brushed past him, leaving him and her purse behind to get outside for air as quickly as possible. Leaning against the side of the building, she lowered her head between her legs as she attempted to gather her bearings.

Auggie quietly slipped off his chair and went outside after hearing her storm out. He simply had to follow the sound of her heavy breathing to find her and reached out to her.

"Listen, pal," Jai said as he gathered Bella's things. "I don't want you to contact Bella again; you hear me? She's been through enough shit with them than you can ever imagine and now I have to deal with mending what you've broken."

"Drop the bullshit, Jai. I know you're working her as a CIA asset," Jasper rolled his eyes at him.

"Bella is not an asset," he warned him, stepping into his face. "She never was and never will be. For anyone. You hear me? If you come looking at her as one again, then we will have a problem. Everything here is personal, but I have no problem making it work and going above your head."

"Why is the CIA protecting her?"

Jai's face scrunched up like he was smelling something sour. "How about because of scumbags like you? She was doing just fine until London. Living her life freely and happily. Don't go ruining it for her."

"I'm not. I'll back off. I guess I'll just have to lower my standards like you CIA folk do all the time when it comes to infiltrating a group."

He scowled at him. "You mean like doing the actual legwork? Getting someone to trust you when they shouldn't? You seemed to fail epically in that department with Bella. If she ever decided to give you the time of day now, it won't be for a long while. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check on my girl and see what kind of damage control I will need to plan to get her out of her head with what you provoked."

"My apologies, man," he said as he left money on the table for the waitress and made his way out of the bar, going in the opposite direction as he had seen Bella walk in to.

"Wait, what? You and Bella are engaged?" Annie made her way over to Jai after the FBI agent stomped out of the bar. "Isn't it more natural to have Auggie and Bella to be engaged?"

Auggie was gently rubbing Bella's back, waiting for Jai to rejoin them, not sure if it was safe to be the boyfriend that Bella needed him to be at this moment. He knew one thing for sure, though; he was going to have dad pull some strings and the man fired from his job. What an idiot. He obviously had no clue what was going on in that family and how much they had actually hurt Bella.

The CIA did a lot of nasty shit - he had done some nasty shit himself - but treating a prospective asset like Whitlock had treated his Bella? That was just wrong. "I'll have Jai drop us off at home, okay?"

She looked up at him, tired and weary. "No. We have to go back to the office. He did give us information that we need."

"Yes, and that information can wait. You're in no shape, Bella, I can hear it."

"Auggie - they're going back to Forks," she whispered. "We have to figure out a plan on how to deal with that because my father is still there. Jai can't go back with me because he obviously knows Jai's CIA."

"I know," he kissed the top of her head. "But you need to be clear headed and well rested before you make any plans." Auggie was then quiet for a moment. "Or, let's do things both ways. You rest, and you make plans. At home. We'll have Jai in, and you'll be safe and comfortable. If we go back to the office now, Joan will take one look at you and send you home anyway and then you'd have to drive."

She knew he was right. Joan would send her out the second she reported in and sighed. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly and pulled the ring off her finger. "At least, I don't have to wear the ring anymore today. So not in my taste anyway. Be happy you can't see it. You'd vomit."

He held up his hand smiling. "Let me see."

Putting it in his, she smirked. "Too extravagant, don't you think?"

He pressed it in his hand with his fingers before going over the shape with his fingertips. "This is more like a ball and chain, wow. So not you," he said as he put the ring in his pocket. "And vanished it is."

Bella leaned in to give him a kiss. "Let the others know I'm going to walk. I'll catch them later. See you at home."

"I'd better see you at home, or I will find you," he said playfully. "And throw you over my shoulder like a neanderthal and take you back myself."

"I look forward to it," she promised. "Be careful. He may have left, but I don't doubt he would stay away long."

"Pff," he huffed. "You be careful."

"I got you on my six," Bella pointed out. "But I'll make sure to keep an extra eye out."

~o.O.o~

"I still can't believe you just let her walk," Jai said as he followed Auggie into the apartment he shared with Bella. "Not after what she's been through."

"Exactly why I let her walk home. She needed to clear her head, get some frustrations out," he replied as he walked into the kitchen and started his coffee machine. "Call Joan and tell her that we're working from home for the afternoon. If she asks why, tell her."

"You should have seen Annie's face when we told her to go back to the Smithsonian, and she wasn't happy."

"It's not our call to read her in," he said as he reached for the coffee grinds. "I don't hear you calling."

It had taken Bella time, between walking initially and switching buses, but she eventually made it home. Pushing the door open, she made her way inside, her head down, her eyes lowered in her exhaustion as she held her phone to her ear.

"Yes, Dad. I know. I'm not happy about it either, but I just wanted to make sure that you're safe and that you keep an eye out around you. I hope to get some time off to come out and see you soon. I promise," she said into the phone with a weak smile. "...of course. I love you too. And no, I won't be calling Renee so don't even try. Goodbye, Dad."

Jai waited for her to get off the phone and pointed at the couch. "Sit down and put your feet up. I'll get you something alcoholic."

"What I need, Jai, is someone to blow up the Cullen family and get them the fuck out of our lives for good. What's going on with Forks? Is there a plan on how we are going to handle that yet? My dad hasn't seen any of them around town so far." Bella replied, rolling her eyes as she walked past him to Auggie and wrapped her arms around him from behind to lay her head on his back.

"Well, I've been trying to find chatter about the information that Jasper had parted with, that they were heading back to Forks in a few weeks, and so far, it seems to pan out. Alice Cullen is back in Forks, and she's hired a cleaning crew for the house," Auggie said as he put his earphones away and turned around in her wrap to hold her tightly. "It doesn't seem like they'll be there for another week or two as Esme Cullen is supposed to have surgery in a couple of days in Rome."

She hummed her pleasure at his touch. "So she continues to be the quintessential Stepford wife for Carlisle. What is she having done now?" Pushing herself up to kiss him, she stayed in his arms for a few moments before pulling away to make herself a strong cup of coffee from her machine. Adding in a shot of Irish Creme, she sat at the counter and looked at the two men. "Plans?"

"We were actually waiting for you. I have an idea, but I'm not sure you're going to like it," Jai said as he looked at her. "There is no way that Auggie and I are letting you go by yourself. I can't go because your dad already suspects I'm CIA and Auggie can't go because he can do more here than there."

Auggie rolled his eyes and sighed. "What Jai is trying to say is that maybe we should get permission to read in Annie."

Bella looked to her coffee then back up before taking a long sip as she leveled her gaze on her friend. Swallowing the hot, alcoholic drink, she let out a sigh and grit her teeth. "How necessary do you think that is? You know that she and I aren't exactly braiding each other's hair here. Why do you want her included now?"

"Because I doubt Joan is willing to part with Arthur for an extensive period while you're in Forks, and who else is there?" Jai replied with a shrug. "Eyal? Ben?"

"I'd rather shoot myself in the foot, thanks. So what if my father makes you for the Agency, Jai? He knows enough that I'm here, but he doesn't say anything. He's not stupid, and he goes to the Smithsonian when in town to find me instead of coming to Langley. He knows the importance of my cover. He does know about Arthur they're brothers. The only thing that you might have to fear is the stupid story you started about us being engaged. That one is going to be hard to smooth over with him when he gets wind of that," she said as she sat there, letting it all sink in. "Talk to Arthur and Joan if you think it's best for Blondie to join the op, but I make no promises of her coming out of those woods unscathed."

"The thing is, though, if I'm with you, I can't exactly go and explore other avenues that come with the op. We could give Annie enough information but not everything."

"May as well let her know everything when it comes to the Cullen end. She doesn't need to know about Italy since that's the end game for the CIA, but Whitlock is working on a case for our sister agency through the Cullens. He has no jurisdiction when it comes to the Volturi cousins, so as long as he doesn't interfere with us getting our intel, we can proceed to find out who's backing them."

"I've already put in a request for that," he smiled at her. "But you and Annie won't be alone in Forks. I'll be there; I'll just make sure to stay out of your way unless I need to do something or Auggie comes with something that you can't take care of because you're busy with your dad."

Bella raised an eyebrow at Jai. "If Emmett, Rosalie, or Whitlock spot you, they'll question why you aren't with me for being my fiance. If you aren't there, then don't come. At that point, send Mercer or someone else. He, at least, knows how to stay hidden," Bella snorted.

"Ouch," Jai laughed.

"Well deserved," Auggie muttered as he walked into the kitchen to get himself a beer. He knew that it was better for him to stay back so that he had every resource of the CIA at his fingertips, fast computers, and his toys, it worked better from his desk instead of his laptop. But he still didn't like Bella going for Forks.

"Contact Ben. He owes me. He'll do this without questions asked or details why," she sighed.

"I can't. Arthur has him on some secret project, and he's the only one who can reach him," Jai replied.

Bella pulled her phone over and tapped the screen to wake it. "Hey, Siri. Call Daddy," she said, with a smirk as she waited for it to connect.

" _Calling Daddy…"_

" _Hey Bella, are you alright? Jai called in to say you were working from home the afternoon, what happened?"_

"We got some information that my fucked up ex-boyfriend's family is making their way back to Forks soon," she informed him.

" _... How reliable is this information?"_

She drew in a breath and let it out. "I'd say, very reliable. If I didn't have such a headache, I'd offer you an excellent FBI movie reference. All I can come up with is Tommy Lee Jones in US Marshals and it's not even close to the situation."

" _That's fine, honey,"_ he said with a chuckle. " _What do you need from me?"_

"You know I love you, right?"

" _I'm not going to like this, am I?"_

Leaning on the countertop, as she spoke directly to the phone, she smiled slightly. "I will probably need to bring Annie with me back home for a time, and I want to take Ben Mercer as a shadow while we are there."

It was quiet on the other end of the conversation for a long time until Arthur sighed. " _Ben is out on a job right now, and I'm reluctant about pulling him off of it."_

"I don't need him for like another two, maybe three weeks. There is a Hoover in the ranks that is familiar with Jai and Charlie knows too much about his family. Auggie is needed on tech, and we'll likely be out in the woods frequently. Anyone else that you can suggest that won't ask questions?"

" _I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, I shall tell your mom about Annie, and you can tell her all about your plans. Do take some rest too, sweetheart."_

"Will do, thanks, Daddy," she smirked as she disconnected the call. "Done. Now one of you can call Annie and invite her over. We're not going to wait until tomorrow. And maybe order some food. Yeah. Mexican sounds great."

"Sure thing," Auggie said as he took a sip of his beer. "Anything else you want?"

"Foot rub?"


	11. Chapter 11

Confined in the car for the four hour drive from Seattle to Forks with Annie, Bella wasn't particularly pleased. However, she knew it was part of the plan and somewhere, either before them, or behind, or even already in Forks, was Ben, poised to watch over them from a distance and collecting intel where he could.

"My father's house isn't much," she started explaining to her so she knew what to expect as they grew closer to the small town. "Some time ago, he had taken out my old bed and put in a bunk with all the _friends_ I used to bring home from work. Simple, quiet getaways for the peace. Top bunk is mine," she warned at the end as she gave her a slightly playful side glare.

"Hey, whatever gets the job done, right?" Annie smiled at her. She wasn't too pleased about the idea of having to be confined to a village in the middle of nowhere - the biggest city was Port Angeles, 2 hours away - for basically nothing but keeping a watchful eye out, intel gathering and having Bella's back. But, on the other hand, it was a welcome change of pace. Hopefully.

"So you grew up here?" she asked as they rolled into town. It looked like one main street and that was it. "Where did you go to have fun? Shopping for clothes?"

Her fingers wrapped around the steering column tightly and she drew in a deep breath, avoiding looking at her. "I wasn't much a fan of

shopping, though I was coerced into it frequently. I actually lived with my mother mostly until she remarried and I decided to come live with my father. That's when my life got turned sideways…" Bella said quietly, making their way through the streets. "Promise me something? Whatever might go on, just stick by my dad and make sure that nothing happens to him."

Annie had to smile at that and held up her phone. "Auggie sent me a text earlier about that. Don't worry Bella, your dad will be safe."

She hesitated before glancing over at her. "I don't trust anyone here and neither should you. I only wonder who is here or still around."

"Didn't you used to have a friend over here?" Annie asked as she looked at the thin file that Auggie had given her to inform her a little about where she was going. "This guy called Jacob?"

An unladylike snort came from her and she shook her head. "A self absorbed dog that doesn't take no for an answer. Blind or not, Auggie now would not hesitate to neuter the mutt."

"Oh, fight club?" Annie grinned. "I'd pay to see that, really."

Bella tilted her head thoughtfully. "You know...so would I."

"I mean… Auggie punching someone?"

"That I've seen plenty. No. Him putting an asshole in his place," she smirked. "But if you want to check out the Rez, I'm sure we can visit. There are some beach sand cliffs for diving. I know my dad will try to drag one of us out for fishing."

"It's too cold to go diving in the ocean," Annie laughed. "No thanks. Diving into the ocean in warmer climates? Sure, but here? This place looks so depressing."

"Yeah. I couldn't wait to get out of here," she mumbled as she pulled in front of a small two story house. "Looks like Charlie is still at work. Gives you a little to settle in."

The house was bigger than it looked; downstairs had the kitchen and the living room and upstairs had two or three spacious bedrooms and the bathroom. Bella had been right about the bunkbeds. Everything in the house was practical. The only remainders of ever being a woman in the house were the picture frames and the furniture in the living room.

All in all, it was quite the cozy house even though the walls seemed to be made out of paper. Bella's sleeping in the woods remark made a lot of sense now; there was no way they would be able to talk freely with Bella's dad in the house.

When Annie returned to the kitchen after bringing their bags up and exploring, Bella was unpacking the groceries they had brought with. As Bella had expected, there wasn't much in the house other than beer. "Are you going to call in telling Auggie that we've arrived or shall I?"

Pulling out her cell phone, Bella dialed Auggie and put him on speaker as she continued putting the food away and set the device on the counter. Waiting for him to answer, she pulled out a couple beers for them.

" _Please don't tell me that you've left Annie at the airport."_

"Thought she could use the fresh air," Bella smiled. "Plenty of it up here."

" _Awesome. That means that Jai owes me ten bucks,"_ Auggie grinned and rubbed his hands. " _Glad you two made it to Forks. How's the weather?"_

"The same as last time. When you were here."

" _SerIously? No weather system is that consistent!"_

Bella turned to lean against the counter and face Annie and held the phone. "Welcome to the Pacific Northwest. Wet 95% of the time. Your footwear is usually rain boots or snow boots. Anyway, we are at the house. Just waiting for the Chief to get home then I'm thinking of going out and checking things out later."

" _Alright, if you need anything, let me know. Call me tonight?"_

Smirking, there was a devilish glint in her eye. "You seriously expect phone sex with Annie in the bunk below me and my father down the hall? Naughty, Auggie…"

Annie started to laugh. "As if!"

" _Watch it or I'm going to blow this entire thing and I'll come to Forks,"_ he said playfully. " _Have fun you two."_

"I'll call later. Tell Mom I'll check in with her later," Bella laughed lightly just as she heard a car pulling up outside.

Not soon after they disconnected the call, a man dressed in a sheriff uniform and the worst 80's porn mustache ever walked into the kitchen, confused for a second as he saw his daughter and her friend. "Oh, that was today," he stated, more to himself than the people in the room.

"Yeah Dad," Bella smiled at him. "That's today. You forgot. Tsk, tsk."

"I didn't forget, Bells," he said as he pulled his daughter into a hug. "I had planned to go to the supermarket after getting changed."

She hummed her amusement as she hugged him tightly. "No need. We stopped on our way from the airport. I know how much you live on the diner food and beer. Dad, this is Annie. Annie, Charlie," Bella introduced as she turned in his hold.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Annie smiled widely.

Charlie huffed as he looked at his daughter. "Did you tell her to stick with me while you go and do other things in Forks just like the previous times?"

Her eyes widened innocently and shook her head. "Why would I do something like that? Come on dad," she tugged on his arm towards the table. "Fill me in on the gossip in town. It's been awhile since I've been back. You've had to have heard something good."

"Well, the Black boy and his friends have started their own security company and have been on the shooting range quite often. Billy's so proud of his son, they even got their first big job right here in Forks," Charlie said as he sat down at the table.

"What the hell kind of security would you need in Forks? Someone thinking their loot going to be stolen by rabid wolves?"

"Their idea was to move closer to Seattle. Billy always believed in letting them go, knowing they'd come back running with their tails between their legs," he said with a chuckle. "Those boys want to have fun, serious work is not really what the majority of them desire. You know Jake, he likes to tinker a lot. Sam and Paul… well, maybe."

"But still. Security?" she repeated, skeptical. "An auto shop is more in their repertoire. And would last. They're idiots."

Charlie shrugged. "Training them to use a gun was a nightmare. It was like a frat party until Billy came in and looked at them sternly," he turned to Annie with a big smile. "The guy's in a wheelchair but he can make water boil by just looking at it."

Annie smiled as she joined the Swans at the table. "I echo Bella's sentiment though, who would need security in a town like Forks? Is there a celebrity moving in or something?"

"Nah, just Doctor Cullen and his family. He's grown a little bit paranoid due to his time in Europe."

Bella's eyebrow rose and her lip curled back in disgust as she turned in her seat. "They're back. Lovely," she grumbled, playing up her role. "Too bad I forgot to pack the cyanide."

Charlie gently pat his daughter's shoulder. "They won't be back for another week or so, they're still renovating the house. It's just that Alice and her new boyfriend for now. I doubt you'll have any trouble from them and when you do, point them to me. I have a gun."

"May I borrow one?" she smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "I promise not to waste any bullets. I'll save them for Edward if I run into him."

"I know I taught you how to shoot, Bella, but if you just stay away from them, you won't need a gun," Charlie said sweetly as he took a sip of his beer before nodding towards Annie. "Don't let her get involved with them either."

Annie eyed him, glanced at her before looking at him again. "You do know I can get better results by talking to that wall over there," she said pointing behind him. "She's as stubborn as Auggie."

"Auggie…" Charlie pondered before his eyes lit up and looked at his daughter. "That's that guy you brought over a few times, isn't it? I like him. How's he doing?"

"Yeah, Dad. Auggie's - good," Bella answered quietly. "He's… been through some things since he visited that he kept secret that I found out about after helping him out overseas. And well, he's doing better now."

Charlie slowly nodded. "You're still not dating him, are you? He's a great guy, I kinda hoped you two would end up together."

Annie quickly took a sip of her beer to muffle her laughter and texted Auggie with the phone in her lap. This was fun. So much fun.

"Jesus fuck Dad," Bella blinked as she sat back. "Is this a fucking conspiracy? Just because I brought someone home, doesn't mean I was dating them. Remember Jai? And Eric? Not to mention Ben? I didn't date any of them. Christ Dad!"

Charlie grinned. "Don't you think the lady protests too much, Annie?"

Annie shrugged. "I think that it's an outdated thing that women and men can't be friends with each other."

"Have you _seen_ them?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything."

"Thank you," Bella nodded, triumphantly, smiling and feeling pleased as she looked to her father. "See?"

"Call him. Invite him over. I want to go fishing," Charlie said seriously.

Bella's smile faltered. "He can't come."

"Why not?"

"Because he can't see."

"And Billy's in a wheelchair and yet he goes on the boat every time we go fishing," Charlie rolled his eyes at her. "And what do you mean with 'he can't see'? What happened?"

"Billy can see around him. Auggie can't see the unsteady ground. He's blind. He was in an accident when he was deployed," she shared the common knowledge, her fingers tapping nervously on the table.

"Jesus Christ, that blows. Call him. We'll do something else then. The boy could use some fresh air," he took a sip of his beer and smirked. "Unless you think that you can't keep your hands off of him, of course."

Her eyes narrowed and shook her head. "You have no idea what the hell you are talking about because when I tell you what I need to, you'll be choking on those words," she muttered as she pulled out her phone with a sigh and dialed Auggie on her NOC line.

" _Miss Swan! Is everything alright? I promise you that your colleagues are not ruining your strict filing regime, I'm personally seeing to that."_

"I'm sure you are, while you are eating popcorn and making a mess of my desk?"

" _Feet up and everything. You know me."_

"How busy are things?" she asked, tired and irritated by her father's inquisition.

" _I don't know, it depends."_

"Do you think management could arrange for a working vacation for you? If you can bring the equipment you need, that is," she suggested.

" _Your dad doesn't like Annie?"_

"He hasn't indicated as much. He wants to see you though. Something about fishing. You know I would rather be strung up by my toenails than be on a boat like that."

" _Fishing, huh? Well, as it happens, I was just looking at some rods online."_

Bella snorted. "How much did Jai get you for one of those rods?"

" _He said he'd owe me if I could get him a proper rod. I was actually thinking on buying him a kiddy rod and make your dad mock him like crazy."_

"You both were planning on coming out regardless of plans?" she deadpanned. "What the hell Auggie?"

" _No, Jai wanted to make plans, back up shit. You know, incase you get cold at night."_ Auggie sounded as if he had bile in his throat.

"I haven't told him yet."

"Told me what?" Charlie murmured as he took a sip of his beer. "You're pregnant?"

"No!" she denied indignantly. "Hell no! No. I - uh… may have gotten into a relationship this year and it progressed rather - fast…" she swallowed nervously.

"That sounds unlike you, who's the guy? Can I meet him? And shoot him if I don't like him?"

Bella looked to Annie, almost as if for help. "You, uh, met him before, Dad."

"Jai and Bella have been dating for a few months," Annie explained with a half hearted smile on her face. "He proposed to her in Paris during a work thing."

"Jai?" Charlie said with a low growl. "I liked the guy but I don't like him that much!"

She shrugged at him with a small smile. "It just happened, Dad. Believe me, it came to me like a surprise."

"And he didn't even ask me for permission!"

"Once again, outdated," Annie pointed out.

"It wasn't planned," Bella pushed out, her teeth grinding the words. "Can we discuss this later? Please?"

"Sure," Charlie muttered. "The invitation for Auggie still stands."

" _What invitation?"_

Bella let out a breath, calming herself. "Charlie wants to invite you to join us for the trip, to go fishing with him or something."

Auggie was quiet for a moment. It would be best for everyone of he stayed as far away as possible for this, but he could make himself invisible if he had to, and he was pretty sure that Annie didn't like to go fishing anyway. On the other hand, Forks was a messy place to navigate, he'd have to rely heavily on others to get around. Which would be terrible. " _Uhm, I could check with management but I don't think it's a good idea. While I'm generally fearless, I am not sure how I could go about the town without imposing on everyone."_

"Well, if you're able to come, you won't be imposing on us," Bella smiled slightly. "You know how I roll."

" _Yeah, but I don't want this trip for you to become a disaster, either. That's the whole reason I stayed behind in the first place,"_ Auggie replied with a sigh. " _I could put you through to management and if they say it's okay, I'll make the necessary arrangements."_

"It won't become a disaster," Annie assured Auggie. "Blind guys aren't superheroes."

" _Watch your language, I AM a superhero and there's nothing you can say to prove that otherwise,"_ Auggie said playfully. " _I have a cane and I'm not afraid to use it!"_

Bella chuckled and shook her head. "Don't forget how many times Murdock kicked your ass in the gym, Walker. Wash out your mouth."

" _So, who'll talk to management. You or me?"_

"I will," Charlie grumbled, still very displeased with his daughter's engagement. "You crazy kids will be the best thing happening under my roof for years."

" _Awesome,"_ Auggie grinned.

Annie looked confused for a moment. "How will he…?"

"And when _management_ does release you into my custody, you and I are going to have a long fishing trip, _son_."

Auggie swallowed hard. " _I uh… I'll bring something to make you be nice to me."_

"Oh, _you_ have nothing to worry about. We just have some things I'd like to discuss."

Annie grinned as she looked at her phone, seeing a message from Auggie, asking her if he should be worried. She texted him back and told him that it was going to be a difficult thing to discuss with Charlie and that he needed to bring his dancing shoes.

" _Great! I'll just wait until I hear from management. Have fun you three!"_

"Bye Auggie," Bella said, her finger hovering over the end call button, anxious to keep her father from saying more. "I'll check in later."

" _Uhuh. Talk to you later. Bye!"_ Auggie disconnected the call and ran his hand through his hair. "Oh boy…"

Charlie polished off his beer and smiled as he took Bella's phone and called Joan. "Hello sweetheart, how are you doing?"

Annie's eyes grew wide as she looked at Bella. 'Sweetheart?' she mouthed.

She only rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair with her arms crossed like a petulant child. "Um, yeah… Joan is actually my step-aunt, you can say? Arthur is Charlie's brother from their mother's first marriage," she whispered back.

Annie's eyes grew even bigger as her jaw seemed to drop on the floor. "Shit, you're fucked!" she whispered.

" _Charlie! What a surprise! What can I do for you?"_

"Well, Joanie, somehow I get the feeling that this trip that you put my daughter on with one of your family members is going to be a working one."

" _You're correct."_

"Of course I am," he hummed as he walked to the fridge to get himself another beer. "Am I correct in understanding that the guy who answers the phone for the Institution is one of your family members as well?"

Joan was quiet for a moment and sighed. " _Maybe, why?"_

"I like him. Surely he can do his job from here. It'd be nice for him to be in the clean air, go fishing with me, make me feel like I'm not the only man in the house."

" _Charlie, I'm not going to send someone else on a trip just to entertain you. I love you but that's just ridiculous."_

"Okay, fine. I like him. Blondie looks a bit green around the nose."

" _Annie is one of the best we have. Still no reason for me to send someone else along. I didn't send them alone, you know."_

"I know the kid. I trust him. Send him out here Joanie. What possible reason could you have against it that would justify not sending to support the girls and keep me distracted as Blondie here was supposed to do?"

Joan sighed deeply. " _Yes, but trust me. I trust Annie."_

"Yes, well, I have things I'd like to talk about to the boy face to face. Send him out Joanie."

" _Then come to Washington!"_

"Send him to Forks."

" _How about I come to Forks and drag you back to Washington with me so you can talk to him?"_

Charlie held the phone out from his face and twisted his lips like he tasted something sour. "This is a private matter that doesn't concern you. If you had done your job, then I wouldn't need to talk to him."

" _What?"_ Joan spluttered. " _My job? And what was that?"_

"Maybe I should have called Arthur. He'd be more understanding from the point of view as a father."

Bella threw her hands up and stood from her chair. "I'm outta here for this this," she announced, already knowing where his call was leading. "You're more than welcome to stay for the show Walker."

"Oh no, thanks," she said as she got up as well. "Knowing how stubborn Joan is and seeing the determination on your father's face, I don't want to stick around for World War Three."

Making their way to the back porch, Bella leaned on the rail and let out a frustrated growl. "I bet he's looking to have Auggie come between Jai and I, but of course he doesn't have the whole picture. Honestly, if he knew some of the truth, it would make this easier, but I need him pissed off about my relationship to make it all that more believable."

"His heart is in the right place, though," Annie said, leaning against the wall. "And it might even be a good idea for Auggie to be here, Jasper could have told them about me being CIA and his suspicions about you. Auggie could be the straight guy, you know. Why would a blind person work for the CIA?"

She narrowed her eyes as she stared out into the woods. "If he told them about you, it would have given away that he's a Fed, so I doubt that he would have done that. It's too big of a case to blow and it would make a name for himself. Aside from _them_ , I have to contend with my father trying to break up my fake engagement, while attempting to use my very real boyfriend to come between us. How fun do you think this will be?" she grinned, wagging her eyebrows, as she looked over at her.

"And still time it right so _they_ can see that you're breaking up with your fake fiancé and appear vulnerable," Annie grinned. "That's going to be awesome. You'll certainly earn an oscar."

"Ergh," Bella frowned. "I'm still working on finding another way in that doesn't involve that particular family. I'm kinda hoping their Alaskan cousins happen to come down. They were kinda fun, even if they were a bit whorish. We could always play it that we decided to jump teams."

Annie blinked when she heard Charlie yell at Joan. Even with the doors closed, all words were audible. "I'm totally up for that, would be so much fun to fuck with everyone's heads."

"I could just imagine the look on the boys' faces when we pull that card out. So much fun," she sang as she remained unfazed by her father's outburst.

"Just so you know, I'll be up for that. Especially hearing Jai tell Auggie what he sees and then seeing the look on Auggie's face."

"I'm the one that will have to live with the man when we go back to DC after this you know," Bella pointed out as she looked at her. "It'll be fun, but first we need to get past Joan. Dad should have her where he wants her by now."

"Does he always get what he wants?"

She shrugged. "Damn near if it's reasonable and justified. We can use him to help with our cover and he can help keep Dad better occupied than you would. Even if he goes into work, Auggie could go and _upgrade_ their computers free of charge and still be able to babysit. You really wouldn't have a good reason to hang around the station."

"I could iron the tea towels, get them donuts and coffee…" Annie shrugged. "But you're right, Auggie would be a better idea."

The door opened and a victorious looking Charlie emerged. "I always like going to war with Joanie. Much more fun than Arthur's first wife."

"You didn't leave her ego too bruised this time, did you? I do have to work with her, you know," Bella huffed.

"All I told her that I still have some Miss Wet T-shirt photos that I had found and she told me to destroy."

"Ah. I'll have to remember that," she mused thoughtfully. "Can I get copies?"

"Sweetheart, I already destroyed those pictures. She doesn't know that."

Bella pouted and shrugged. "Worth a shot. Want to just do pizza tonight? Not really feeling like heading out until morning."

"Pizza is good. Pizza and beer is a great combination," Charlie nodded.

"Awesome. Go order. Does the liquor store still special deliver for you?"

"Of course, as long as I keep turning a blind eye to their… _side-business_ , I get deliveries and something extra."

Bella smirked and pulled out some money. "Call in the orders and tack on two bottles of Patron for us."

"Two?" Annie asked.

"One for you and I to start tonight. The rest for when Auggie gets here. He'll need it. You'll understand later," she explained.

Charlie ignored the money in Bella's hand and handed her her phone back before heading back inside to make the calls. He succeeded in bringing Auggie back to Forks for his Bella. This was going to be great.

~o.O.o~

Bella and Annie were in her room upstairs passing the Patron back and forth between them as Bella set her phone up to call Auggie on his. Charlie was preoccupied with his game downstairs so she was reasonable comfortable for the conversation about to ensue.

" _No, you didn't forget your toothbrush."_

"I got you a bottle of Patron waiting for when you get here," Bella grinned.

Auggie whined. " _He still has slow ass internet, doesn't he?"_

"What can I say? He truly has ulterior motives for wanting your presence. He should have joined with Mom and Dad. Imagine the three of them in the ranks. Henry's nightmare."

" _Your dad would eat Henry alive."_

"And spit him out. He - was not pleased with the engagement news. Right away he started asking about you. So be prepared for participating in some super spy shit with him."

" _That is always interesting,"_ Auggie said as he put his own toothbrush in his bag. " _It's a good thing that your dad knows about our stuff, because I took a little more than the usual travel equipment, mainly for my own sanity."_

"Well you are more than welcome to upgrade things here. And you can _upgrade_ the department while you're at it, just to stay near him. But he doesn't know about you and I which will make things - fun."

" _Can't Annie throw herself at him? Bat her pretty lashes at him? Seduce him? I don't know."_

"Hey!" Annie whined as she reached for the bottle.

"He's not into jailbait."

" _We'll throw her at the puppy then."_

"We'll discuss the puppy and his friends when you get here. Seems an influential family has adopted their new security firm. I plan to scope it out as soon as I can."

Auggie groaned. " _Goodie. I'll probably be arriving at lunch tomorrow. I'm taking an early flight and have someone drive me down to Forks."_

"Joan will probably have Ben pick you up. Just don't kill him."

"I will kill you if you kill him, Auggie," Annie warned him.

" _I can play nice if he can."_

"I'll kill you if you touch a hair on him," Bella glared at her, yanking the bottle from her hands and swallowing a mouthful.

" _Great, the killing game has already started!"_ Auggie took a sip of his beer and nearly tripped over his bag. With a grunt, he pulled it back onto the bed. " _Is your dad prepared to have three 30 somethings in his house that behave like absolute children?"_

"Well - I can't exactly tie you up and drag you out and have my way otherwise it would give away our relationship. So are you prepared to keep your hands to yourself? _Or_ do you want to just tell him the truth? That Jai is a lie."

" _We'll see. I mean, your dad is pretty observant. Then on the other hand, if he catches us in the lie, hell will be paid... Joan might have to pick up our bodies from the airport."_

Bella shook her head and grunted. "Wrong. We will never be found. Dad will have us so well hidden in these woods, they wouldn't find us for fifty years."

" _We'll see. I'm more interested in what he has to say to me that couldn't be said over the phone. We can have a laugh at it later."_

"Hm, yes. Laugh," Bella repeated as she sipped. Making her way off the bunk, she tripped over the corner of her chair. "Fucking shit. Where did that come from?"

"It's been there since I got our bags up," Annie laughed. "Are you okay?"

"Fucking shit attacked me," she grumbled. "Auggie! When are you coming here?!"

" _Tomorrow,"_ Auggie laughed. " _Go to bed, you're drunk, you silly little lightweight."_

"Too long," she complained. "I want you here now."

" _You saw me this morning before you left. Have we really gotten to the point in our relationship where we can't spend one day away from each other?"_

"I'm tired of being sent away. I don't want to go away anymore," she mumbled as Annie had moved to coax her into the bed. "Don't let Joan send me away anymore."

" _I know and I'll tell Joan that if you're going to be sent away again, I'm with you. Or we could just pack up and leave and disappear, how's that?"_

There was an incoherent mumble from her as she was face down on Annie's bunk. The events of the day and news she received, with the help of the alcohol, pushing her to sleep.

" _Annie, keep an eye on her. I know you're not that drunk yet."_

"Hell no, I took my time," Annie said as she wrestled the duvet from underneath Bella to cover her up and took the phone. "I didn't quite realize how bad this thing has been for her over the years, but I've seen a lot today and she needs you here, Auggie."

" _Yeah, I know,"_ he sighed as he finished packing his bag and handed it to Joan who was standing patiently at the door. " _She's been on her own with this for far too long. You and I are going to make sure that at least this part of her assignment will be dead and buried when we're done."_

"Sounds like a fantastic plan to me. We'll talk when you get here. Goodnight Auggie," Annie said softly.

" _Good night, Annie. I'll see you tomorrow."_ Auggie hung up and put his phone in his pocket. He wasn't on Joan's best side right now as he had exchanged some pretty powerful words with her about Bella and the Cullens after she had come off the phone with Charlie, as he had been afraid that she wouldn't send him.

Much to his surprise, she had allowed him to and agreed with everything that he had said. But still, it felt a little bit uneasy for her to drive him to the airport for the last plane out. He wanted to be there by morning. Luckily, Ben agreed to pick him up and not to kill him for a lack of sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

He had found the spare key that Charlie had hidden in a planter, and he was not going to put it back for safety reasons. Who still hid their spare keys outside for people to find? It was ridiculous! Ben helped him to get his stuff in the kitchen, quietly and stealthily, and had switched on the coffee pot because Auggie couldn't find it.

Ben then left, leaving Auggie to find his way around himself. It was a good thing that Charlie wasn't big on change, but with him crashing into the dining table caused some empty beer bottles to knock over at 7.45 am and he cursed loudly. So much for a stealthy entrance.

The sound of a rifle being cocked and footsteps coming down the stairs echoed in the air. "If you know what's good for you, you'll know that you broke into the wrong house Buddy," Charlie grunted as he started to round the corner into the kitchen.

"Don't shoot! I come in peace!" Charlie and his guns. He should have known. "The coffee's already on."

Blinking at the sight of the boy, the man lowered his gun and cussed. "Son, what the hell are you doing? Why didn't you call? Someone woulda come picked you up! You didn't need to give us heart attacks here! I could have blown your head right off! Then what good would that have been for my girl?!"

"Well, you'd have new paint on your walls," Auggie said casually and pointed around him. "Good to see you again, sir, good to know you haven't changed," he said with a big smile on his face.

"See? Oh hell. Bella told me what happened. You okay?" he asked, his eyes squinting on him in scrutiny.

"Am I getting the famous Charlie Swan squinting examination right now?"

The man growled. "August."

"Oh shit, I'm in trouble," he said with a grin, taking a step towards the sound and tried to find him as he reached out to him. "I'm fine. We can still go fishing and while I'm here, I'll make myself useful and upgrade your computer system at work and get you faster internet. Ease you into the 21st century. It's about time."

Charlie frowned, his mustache twitching. "I should have known you would have known I was bluffing. I had to get you here somehow. You're here and that's what counts. Bella and her friend are still asleep."

"Good, then we have the coffee pot all to ourselves," he found Charlie's arm and found his shoulder to pat him gently.

"And you can fill me in on this nonsense about this engagement bullshit with Jai Wilcox."

"Yeah, sucks, doesn't it? I mean, who would have thought? Jai and Bella! I now have to like the guy and it's not easy."

Charlie ran his hand over his face and shook his head. "Don't bullshit me like she tried to. I don't believe that load of horsecrap and I know it's a _work_ related story. Tell me I'm wrong. If I am, then you and I have some meddling to do."

"Why me?" Auggie asked, finding a chair and sat down.

"Because I think you're a better fit for my daughter and I'd rather -"

"Not you too!" he whined. "Seriously, why does everyone want us to hook up? I mean, she's gorgeous, and she's awesome, but we're better off as friends. Besides, I'm blind. You know how clumsy I can get?"

Charlie stared at him, smiling. "You do know she said something almost identical but both of you deny this so hard. Makes me wonder…"

"Whatever. At least Bella and I know that it's not going to happen."

"Because it already has?"

Right. He had forgotten that Charlie was good at sussing things out, or at least manipulating people in telling him what he wanted to hear. "I think the coffee is done. I could do with a cup."

"I'll take one too. So, how long have you been sleeping with my daughter now that you've avoided that question?"

"Not? We've only started hanging out since she came back stateside and back at the Institute. Mostly with Annie and Jai," he replied, gratefully finding a cup of coffee placed in his right hand. "We're having a lot of fun though, it's like the old days just fucking about."

"And you two live together, don't you? I understand that you have a one bedroom apartment? So where do you two sleep?"

"She commandeered my apartment, yes," Auggie laughed. "And we do sleep together in the bed, she's still the same old octopus as before. It doesn't mean we have sex."

Charlie nodded and hummed. "So then you won't object if I were to set her up with one of my deputies. He actually graduated with Bella. Perhaps you remember him, Michael Newton?"

Auggie cringed. "Surely you could find someone better than him, I still owe Mike a punch to the nose."

"I'd like for Jacob, as I'm best friends with his father, but last time I tried that Bella dumped a hot pot of coffee in his lap. Maybe he forgave her…"

"Or maybe… Bella might not be into men at all," Annie said from the stairs, winking at Charlie and made her way over to Auggie to hug him. "Hi!"

"Like I'd believe that one," Charlie snorted. "I still would like Auggie to give it a try."

"I could give it a try but Charlie, I love her as my friend, how the hell am I going to love her as a potential lover?" Auggie took a sip of his coffee. "Besides, do you honestly want a blind guy for your daughter?"

"Can you imagine your life without her? Your blindness is not important to a relationship if you're going to use that as a basis. Bella is bigger than that and you know it. And Blondie, while I have every respect for gays and lesbians, I am certain that my daughter is not and may pretend for _work_."

"What if Auggie's gay and actually Jai's lover?" Annie winked.

Charlie smiled at that. "Half of that I would believe and be ecstatic about because it would mean that Bella's story is a total lie and would make her available to go on a date with Auggie tonight!"

"Why am I going on a date with Auggie?" Bella grumbled sleeping as she walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee maker.

"Because he thinks we should be together!" He held up his coffee cup. "Looking for this?"

She turned to look at him confused, blinking. "I'm hallucinating. When did you get here?"

"Fifteen minutes ago, your dad pulled a shotgun at me and he hasn't shut up about us dating and you and Jai being engaged for _work_."

She looked over to her father, then back at Auggie and then to Annie. Blinking her eyes again, she took the mug from Auggie and walked out of the room. "I'm too hungover for this shit. I'm going back to bed. Tell him whatever the fuck you want."

"I might have to if he doesn't drop the subject because it's getting a little bit annoying."

"Not my problem!" she called back.

Auggie sighed. "Annie?"

"It's really not her problem, she said she didn't care last night so, good luck," she grinned, taking her coffee out of the kitchen.

Crossing his arms as he leaned on the table, Charlie smiled at the younger man. "So...you gonna tell me what this is all about? I know you can't tell me about work, but you can tell me the truth about my daughter's relationships."

"Joan made us do it," Auggie said after a moment of silence.

"And I will have it out with her. Now are you and my daughter together or not? And this thing with Jai? Work related?"

"Jai was winging it during a work thing, pissed Bella off but she didn't have a choice but to go along with it and now has to stick with it for other work things that are connected to the other work thing," he explained. "And Bella and I have been together for a couple of months now, nearly a year, I think."

Charlie nodded, pleased. "Great. Just two more questions then you can do what you came here to do and babysit me while Blondie and Bella go off and do their work stuff."

"I'm not going to like the questions, am I?"

"Maybe, maybe not. First, when are you going to propose to my daughter, not this fake work bullshit. And when am I going to have some grandbabies to spoil?"

Auggie swallowed hard. "Well, for me to propose to your daughter, I'd have to ask you for permission first."

"Done. Next."

"Charlie, you're known as a hardass, why aren't you being more hardassy about this?" Auggie whined.

"I like you and Bella needs to get out of this field. I'm not stupid, I know where it's brought Joan and Arthur. I've known them both for years and as much as I respect the both of them, I don't want her to be like them in twenty years married to her work. She needs her family and she forgets that. You remind her of it. She smiles when she talks to you, of you. Really smiles."

Auggie slowly nodded. "We've talked about this, of course. We plan on taking a sabbatical once this particular job is done and dusted, just to figure things out, see what we want to do, have fun, explore the world without looking through work tinted glasses. For her sake, I hope it's sooner than later. For my own sake, I wish it's sooner than later because frankly, this job has cost me too much and it's not just my sight. We both hate that our job has to come first, you know… it just…" he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "As for your grandchildren… not for a while."

"I had to ask. Still doesn't hurt to plant that seed though," he laughed. "How long do you think this trip will run?"

"Ah, well, this week will be spent gathering intel, canvassing, that sort of thing and then we get down to the hard part. Might take a month. I really hope it won't be more than that, mostly for Bella's own sanity."

Charlie sighed and pulled his coffee across the table. "It's the Cullens, isn't it? I always felt that family would haunt her."

"I can't tell you that, Charlie, but it's kinda suspicious, isn't it? Your daughter coming back around the same time they come back to town?"

"I know. I know. I figured as much. Would it help if you had one of our units wired up for when we patrol past their drive? We do make trips up there periodically," he shared. "I can't get you inside, but gives you something."

"Oh, yeah, that would be great and it'd save me some time as well, I would have hacked you anyway," he said with a grin. "And they're still refurbishing. One of our operatives is part of the crew and he's going to help us out with inside. And for that to work, you need to call your internet provider and have them give you fast internet asap," he added playfully. "Or you know, I could do it illegally."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Charlie agreed. "Just do what you need. You can call in my name."

"Okay, good. Now, if you'd excuse me, you're off sick today with a stomach bug and I'm going to crash for a couple of hours."

"You remember where Bella's room is. Don't be loud. You're sharing with Blondie."

Auggie rolled his eyes at Charlie as he got up. "Don't worry, if your daughter and I want to have some private time, we'll leave the house entirely because the walls are too thin."

"Thanks for the gesture. Plenty of woods in the back. Just go deep enough, don't break your neck and no one will hear you...hopefully and especially me."

"D'aww, all this talk about me and Bella hooking up and you're squeamish about sex. Good to know." Auggie laughed as he found the stairs and started to climb them.

"Just because I know it's happening doesn't mean I need to hear it! All I want are the grandbabies as the result!"

He felt Annie's familiar hand take him by the arm and lead him to Bella's room. "I'm going into town. Get some bagels or whatever."

"Okay, thanks," Auggie smiled as he felt for the bunk bed. "She on the bottom?"

"Yeah, she zonked out last night."

"How much did she drink?" he questioned, concerned as he sat beside her.

"At least half a bottle," Annie replied and squeezed Auggie's shoulder. "It's really good you're here, Auggie. Take a nap, we'll chat later."

He gave her something of a nod before sliding over closer. Feeling over Bella's body, he moved her hair away from her face, leaning down to kiss her before pushing his shoes off to join her. He could hear Annie leave the room as he managed to maneuver himself onto the bed and pulled Bella closer before nodding off in a light sleep himself.

~o.O.o~

He woke up when Bella rolled into him, her elbow colliding with the side of his head. "Ow, careful, the bed is small, you know," he said with a groan and rubbed his head.

Bella sat up, her eyes blurry with sleep, and look around. "The hell? My dad will find us like this…" She whispered, moving to get out of bed.

He wasn't letting go of her and pulled her back. "Yeah, you see, the thing is… he knows. There's no fooling him and no matter how hard I tried to evade him, he just knew. It was like the Spanish Inquisition, but then with more humor and evasive maneuvers that were for naught."

She fell back until her head rested on his chest. Sighing, she reached for his hand. "That must have been fun. At least we don't have to lie to him about that. How did Joan take her loss?"

"Her ego was slightly dented, but she drove me to the airport anyway. Your dad knows more than he lets on, you know. He knows you're here for a job and that that job involves the Cullens. I swear, I didn't say anything," he ran his fingers over her back. "And that he's glad that I'm here so that you'll be slightly happier and safer."

Bella rolled over so the she could lay along side him. As her fingers toyed with his shirt, she was quiet for a minute, thinking. "After this trip, I don't want to come back, I think. He can come visit wherever. Maybe do Disney World."

"All of the Disney Worlds? Get all kinds of happy thrown at us?"

"Collect Goofy hats and Mickey ears. Why not?" She teased.

"Deal," he said with a big grin. "We'll bring back a princess dress for Jai." He softly kissed her and ran his hand through her hair. "How's your head?"

"Still hard. How's yours?" Bella asked back, turning enough to look up at him. "What are your plans with Dad today? And where is Annie?"

"Well, since I wanted to take a nap and find space for my stuff, I told your dad that he has a stomach bug so he's downstairs. Annie's out for bagels, doing some exploration while she's at it. Today will be a slow day."

She shifted until she was back fully on the bed with him. "She'll be disappointed that the bagels here suck. I'm surprised my dad let you come up here and not make you sleep on the couch."

"He said, and I quote, 'You remember where Bella's room is. Don't be loud. You're sharing with Blondie,' so I guess we're safe," he sighed and laughed. "Hey, since I gave you my coffee this morning, shall we go downstairs to make a fresh pot?"

Sighing, she shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Then maybe we could find out his real reason for wanting you here."

"He wanted to use me to get between you and Jai - if the Jai thing wasn't a work related thing and he believed it was."

"Figured as much," Bella snorted and sat up. "Now he can breathe easy."

"Oh, I hope so. Your dad can be quite scary when he wants to be," he laughed as he reached with his hand above his head as he got up from the bed, careful not to bump his head against the bed above them. After they both got off the bed, they made their way downstairs where Charlie had already made a new pot of coffee and Auggie could smell fried eggs and bacon.

"So, the next time you two lie to me about your relationship status, I will shoot you," Charlie stated sternly. "No matter if you're my daughter. I will shoot you. Your work has nothing to do with your private stuff, you hear me?"

"Good morning to you too, Dad," Bella muttered as she shuffled to the counter to plate up for her and Auggie. It wasn't as if she'd been happy about not being able to share things with her father. There had been many instances over the years where she wanted her father to come to wherever she was and she'd spill her guts and he'd tell her that everything would be okay. Or that he'd take care of it. At least he was happy about Auggie. Greasy eggs and bacon smelled so good right now.

"Sue's bringing over her chicken soup and lasagna for dinner tonight. She heard about the stomach bug I'm supposedly ailing of. Nice woman, that Sue. She's very strong and has two lovely kids. You remember Seth and Leah, don't you, Bells?"

"Sounds great. You dating her too, Dad?" Bella questioned as she sat beside Auggie and placed a plate with his food in front of him.

"Oh, I don't think you can call it dating at my age, Bella," Charlie said, his face slightly reddening. "She's great company."

"He's blushing," Auggie stated. "No doubt about it."

She smirked as she stared her father down."Yep. He's sleeping with his dead friend's wife. Interesting…"

"I'm not blushing, how do you know that, Auggie?"

"You do realize that what you just said is double, right? First denial, then admittance?" He countered with a smile on his face, folding his sandwich and took a bite. "We definitely have to meet her, to see if she's suitable for you. Otherwise we might have to do something."

"I think Ms. Peters at the library has had her eye on you for years.""

"Ms. Peters smells of old socks and cats," Charlie said as he furrowed his brow. "Sue knows all about fish. It's amazing. She even goes fishing with me and Billy if the weather's not too bad."

Auggie smirked. "I'll definitely have to do a background check on her. She sounds too good to be true!"

"No kidding. I'll have to let Joan and Arthur know about this. Who knew trout was a criteria for getting laid?" She questioned rhetorically.

"She and I haven't - she - no." Charlie spluttered as he poured them some coffee. "We simply enjoy each other's company, so far without _that_."

Bella feigned a pout and rested her chin on her boyfriend's shoulder. "That's a shame because it would have been nice to have a baby brother or sister to spoil some."

Charlie huffed. "We're too old for that, Bells. Besides, it's time for the younger generation to make the older generation grandparents," he winked. "When are you going to give me one?"

She snorted a laugh. "Not anytime soon, I assure you of that. Work kinda gets in the way of that kind of thing Dad. Not that I wouldn't like one _someday_ , there's too much going on to have to worry about a kid too."

"Yeah, I know. That's what he said too," Charlie took a sip of his coffee. "But hey, can't blame a father from hoping, right?"

"Our immediate future plans after this job is to visit all the Disney parks in the world," Auggie grinned as he caressed Bella's back. "But back to you and Sue. I wasn't kidding on the background check."

Bella was still stuck on her father talking to Auggie about children with her as she stared across the table. "Rewind here… When was this? Auggie and I are barely finding our feet together with work trying to complicate things and you're wanting to make us parents?"

"I had him cornered this morning. Might as well ask everything I want," Charlie shrugged.

"He's not fucking Santa Claus, Charlie!" She argued. "It was out of line!"

"Hey," Auggie said as he put his arm around her and pulled her into his lap. "It's okay. Your dad doesn't see you that often and he's excited, happy, for you. That's all."

Bella shook her head and pulled away. "So are you going to tell me you like his ridiculous suggestion despite everything going on?"

"We haven't talked about having kids yet and I told him that we have other things to do first. Like having fun. Live."

She blinked as she caught much more of what he said and processed it before turning to her father. "Exactly. We haven't talked about the future at all. Who's to say this doesn't work with us and we're better as friends, what? Five years down the road? Don't make decisions for us when we haven't even crossed certain bridges ourselves."

"You need to forgive your old father for being happy to see his little girl finally in a happy relationship with the guy she brought over so many times. And yes, Auggie's right, I'm simply very excited and he was very diplomatic in answering every question that I had. You don't have to worry about anything. I'm just very happy for you."

"We were only friends then," she growled. "Don't pull this shit again because taking decisions about my life away from me like that just makes no better than they are," she hissed and pointed out the window.

"I'm not making decisions for you, Bella."

"Were you not trying to coerce grandchildren?"

"I merely said it would be nice. I didn't say you should have them now."

"Sounded like a strongly advised suggestion when it's mentioned to both people in the relationship, Charlie."

Charlie sighed exasperated and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to clear out the office so Auggie can settle in with his things there," he mumbled as he got up and headed to the small area in defeat.

"Make sure you don't pass that bug. Who knows? Maybe Leah will get knocked up," she quipped, turning to her food. "Won't be me."

Auggie pushed Bella's hair aside and softly kissed her neck as she was still in his lap. He could feel how she was a big bundle of nerves and needed to relax. "How about we go for a walk in the woods later?"

She let out a sigh and nodded. "Sure. Anything away from _him_ for awhile," she murmured, turning to him. "You didn't come out here for this."

"I came out here for _you_. To make sure that you get through all of this in one piece and with only minor dents in your armor. And apparently to make sure that your dad stays safe throughout all of this as well because he doesn't think Annie's cut out for bodyguard duty," he put his forehead against hers and smiled. "I would do anything for you, even chew off my legs if I have to. Dealing with your father's enthusiasm is only a minor thing."

Bella smiled back at him, her eyes looking into "his. "I do love you," she said softly. "But he already has us having kids when we just admitted to being together and it hasn't even been a full year. It's a little…"

"Too much, I know," he smiled. "But not everyone sees it that way, you know. They think we've been dating for years and years. Best thing is just to ignore them and focus on us. Our speed."

"And the only way I'd voluntarily go to the doctor to take out my IUD is only if I had a ring on my finger," she joked, kissing him. "So Dad has a long time to wait."

"Careful, don't say that out loud too much because he might run to the nearest candy machine and get you a ring from those surprise thingies," Auggie snorted.

"Should I specify a diamond then?" Bella teased. "You know that doesn't interest me."

"Could pay for a ring tattoo for you," he mused. "No fuss with jewelry because you get stuck anyway or hurt yourself. Or me."

She huffed. "So I get stabbed repeatedly with a needle. I'm still trying to find the win here. Diamonds and needles don't sound that great."

"I guess I'll have to get creative when the time's right."

Bella sat back and looked at him surprised. "You're serious?" She asked, ignoring the sound of the front door opening and closing as Charlie left the house. "You're thinking about this?"

"No," Auggie huffed. "That's future talk. Our nearest future is finishing this job and go to Disney parks."

Her eyes flickered over his face for a minute as she digested what he told her. Leaning in to kiss him heavily, she drew in a breath before breaking apart. "Disney as soon as this whole assignment is over," she agreed.

"Yes, that's as far as we'll go when looking into the future. Baby steps." Of course, he already knew that one day he wanted to ask her to marry him, it was simply a matter of the right time and it definitely wasn't the right time. "Now, am I right in assuming that your dad left the house? Where is he?"

"Hm, either on his way to the station or the reservation to see Billy. We'll worry about stalking him a little later. I think a little distance to cool off might be a good idea today," she murmured as she tucked her head into his neck.

"Wanna go to bed and do some more sleeping?"

Bella groaned and shook her head. "I slept enough but you probably should get more rest from your flight."

"Nah, I'm fine," he smiled and ran his finger over her back. "Get dressed, let's go for a walk."

"I need to shower," she muttered before grinning against him, kissing his neck. "Care to join me?"

"Sure," he laughed before he heard his phone go off. "It's Annie. I'll join you in a bit, I suppose." He felt how Bella reluctantly left his lap and he picked up the phone. "Walker, what's going on?"

" _Agent Doucheface recognized me while he was with the Cullen girl and didn't hide it. She saw that and he introduced me as an old friend of his. I mean, seriously? He took the last bagels too!"_

"Yeah well, the bagels aren't that great anyway. And this complicates things," Auggie said as he rubbed his eyes. "You were supposed to be Bella's friend, anonymous - a nobody. Fucking FBI."

" _We could play it on coincidences, I mean, he did say I work for the Smithsonian so that is still in place,"_ Annie's voice sounded. " _I'm on my way back. We need to talk. We all need to talk because I found out some information."_

"Fine," Auggie sighed. "See you in a bit." He hadn't heard Bella go up the stairs as he was on the phone, probably waiting for him as he disconnected the call. "I uh, I better set up my stuff."

"Walker and Whitlock are cockblockers," she announced from the doorway. "We should set them up with each other when this is over."

"Yep. Now, where's my stuff?"

"Some bags are in the living room, others upstairs. You want me to get anything?"

"Nope, I got it," he said as he pocketed his phone and got up from the chair. "Go take your shower, hot stuff. I'm going to set up and make do with your dad's internet connection. Oh, he did say that I could call the provider so I might do that later."

"Wow...he really does want you in the family," she grinned. "I'll be back down shortly, sexy."

He carefully moved around in the living room until he found his two laptops with the accessories he needed and then went to the office space. He was grateful for Charlie to have cleared the pah and the desk so that Auggie had all the space he needed. He just needed to remember that the desk had corners and that it still hurt to bump into one. He was just glad that he didn't walk straight into it but more skimmed it with his leg.

If he'd been smart, he would have used his cane to walk around but to be fair, Charlie didn't change much in his house and Auggie was quite familiar after having spent quite some time as a seeing person in the house. The minor bumps in the road - so to speak - were expected and he'd learn eventually.

He'd just finished setting up and was starting to figure out what Charlie's provider was - it would have been nice if he'd told him - when Annie came back inside the house and Bella down the stairs. "Hey, perfect timing!"

"Yeah well, you're not going to like what I have to say so grab a beer," Annie muttered as she pulled chairs into the office.


	13. Chapter 13

Once the three of them were settled in the office, with a beer - even though it was probably somewhere around noon, Annie started to brief them on the information she gathered in the town center.

"We have a couple days at most before they all return to their home. Special Agent Douchebag managed to drop that information, but he also made it clear that he didn't quite like it that the Institute had a job in town. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, that I was here on a trip with my friend and coworker. I swear, he'd have started a pissing contest if Alice wasn't with him," she said as she took a sip of her beer. "Their renovations have been done and it seems that Esme's fit for travel after they bumped up her 'operations'."

"That was to be expected," Bella muttered as she downed half the bottle. "They're the most patient, and the most impatient, family there is. I'm still not sure why they choose to return stateside though. It seemed to me that they had a perfect life in Europe. And why now? I mean, I have seen more of them in the last year than I have since I broke up with Edward. This is ridiculous. They're up to something."

"Well, I didn't get more information on them, but I do have some more information about the puppy brigade hired by them for security. I caught a few of them while they were doing groceries, I could tail them without them even noticing and this is where it gets interesting. I think it was the youngest of the bunch, I heard him say that it wasn't fair towards _you_ , Bella, that they were going to work security for the Cullens. That even though it paid well, that they were letting go of the values they had been taught by their parents."

"The fucker drew Seth into this?" Bella's eyes grew large. "What the fuck!"

"The other boys said that you'd understand and that they didn't particularly cared because you haven't shown your face or written them in years."

"I haven't bothered with those dogs because that's exactly what they've proven themselves to be," Bella defended herself. "Jacob continuously expected us to get together simply because of our dads and it doesn't work like that. He lost any respect he had from me years ago."

"Yeah, I kinda got the jist of that as well. But seriously, I've seen some shitty security people but these are still kids, in it for the quick buck. They probably won't give that much trouble," Annie said as she took another sip of her beer. "Take them out drinking and shit."

"I'd rather take them out and wring their necks," she responded. "Only a few days now instead of weeks… Great. Maybe we'll get lucky and get this over with quicker."

"That would be awesome," Annie smiled.

"Yeah, and while that would be very awesome, we do have to realize that we can't cut corners on this because otherwise this thing will continue to haunt Bella and I don't want that," Auggie said as he was typing on his laptop and listening to the sounds. "Emmett and Rosalie are flying in from Amsterdam, their flight leaves tomorrow. Carlisle and Esme leave Italy the day after tomorrow with their son Edward via private jet, so make that three days, tops, before hell breaks loose."

"Can't we just stick a bomb on it?" Bella questioned.

Auggie thought for a long moment. "I think I have some people over there who owe me a favor…"

"Guys, we're supposed to be the good guys," Annie reminded them.

"Hey, isn't Eyal in Italy or close? Maybe he could do it!"

"Auggie!" Annie scolded him.

"The asshole does owe me big," Bella mused quietly.

"And what would Joan and Arthur say? It could cause an international incident and cause a shitstorm," Annie countered.

"I'd make sure I wasn't caught," she replied innocently. "Their Italian cousins aren't fans of theirs after all…"

"Yeah well, you should have thought about that plan before, it's a little too late now."

Bella huffed and fell onto the couch. "They really should have just gotten clearance to off them instead of trying to get to the inner network. They are so far off now it's ridiculous. Hey, Auggie? Did they find anything on Demetri's computer?"

"Yes," Auggie replied after a moment of silence and typing on his computer. "If you have a moment or two, I can open the- You know what, I'm going to call the internet company," he sounded frustrated. Well, he was. Everything worked so slow. It had taken him a long time to actually get all his emails. "Barber sent me some stuff and it's taking far too long."

"Hey. At least it's something. I still had to fight with dial up when I was living here," she pointed out. "Try working with that!"

"Oh, ouch. No," Auggie laughed as he was on the phone with the internet company.

Bella looked over at Annie. "So you got to see pint sized bitch. I doubt she took your being _old_ _friends_ with Whitlock well."

"She looked like as if she saw water burn," Annie grinned. "Mainly because the fed was being a big flirt. But wow, she can talk. I mean, literally, your ears off."

"Gives a new meaning to nails on chalkboard," she retorted.

"I wanted to stuff a sock in her mouth. A dirty, smelly, poo crusty sock," Annie took a swig of her beer. "And pull the stick out of her ass, but I'm afraid that it would turn her inside out."

"I would bet that she will try to befriend you and then attempt to give you makeovers. How are we going to go about this once they all are in town?" she asked loudly.

"I don't know, have Jai come over and go party all the time, just often enough for them to show their faces and then publicly break up with him? Annie will be the consoling best friend? Then maybe you can turn up on their doorstep in a drunken haze, crying your eyes out and wanting Edward? Then proceed to destroy them?" Auggie replied back, reaching for the plugs and pulled out every cable after coming off the phone with the internet company. He needed to reset the modem, and he knew it was in the room somewhere but his patience was wearing thin.

Bella didn't like that idea much as it still put her closer to her ex than she was comfortable with. "You know, it'd be nice if your Fed friend was a bigger douche bag and tried to set us up to fail. It would work out for them, that I become single but they're the ones handing me information. Like catching Jai being the naughty fiance."

"I have another idea, and you're not going to like it," Annie said as she watched Auggie plug everything back in. She'd never seen him this desperate and for some strange reason she found it quite charming.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is this idea?" the girl sighed and closed her eyes in dread.

"It would totally blow every protocol out of the water and Auggie will be so against it, but I think this could work."

Auggie sat up slowly, not liking what he was hearing. "This - would be bad if you're leading in like that. What is your terrible suggestion Walker?"

"Pull some strings, have Whitlock's handler tell him to expose Bella as a CIA agent investigating the Cullens."

Bella's eyes flew open at that and shook her head. "You're right. You're crazy and it's stupid. You have any idea how dangerous that is? Because I still have ties working my way into the Volturi that exposing me like that will screw up. It would take years before we get in a similar position again, if ever. They'll only close ranks."

"Yeah, but what if this could grant you access in no ways possible before and take them all out?"

"Alright. Fine. You burn me. How do you intend to continue working inside?" Bella glared at her.

"No! No, this is a horrible plan, absolutely not!" Auggie objected. "This means that we have to go off book, unprotected and in unchartered territory, something we can't control. No."

"I agree and no way in hell is it happening voluntarily," Bella said as she stood and moved over to the window to look out to the street. "If they do find out, it'll be on their own. No doubt that Whitlock is more than a little suspicious already. I mean, I'm on vacation with an agent, and supposedly engaged to a well known name in CIA circuits. The spider web is going to come back around sooner or later and it's a question of whether he will keep his mouth shut or not."

"Fine, then we'll go with Auggie's plan. Be in public as much as we can, together. If we spot them, you'll happen to get a phone call from someone telling you bad news about Jai, you make a scene, call Jai, make an even bigger scene and then we'll go from there," Annie suggested. "But I still think that burning you is the better option."

"Of course you would. It would put me out of work," she snapped at her. "Just stick me behind a desk at that point and then - _then_ I will definitely murder someone. I think will go alphabetically."

"Auggie comes first, he's Anderson, I'm Walker, I don't care."

"Auggie is sleeping with Bella. Auggie is a nice guy. Auggie doesn't want to get slaughtered and have Jai Wilcox clean up the mess that Bella made of Auggie. Do be kind to Auggie," Auggie said as he turned on his laptops again. "We need to make them believe that they're in control when they're not. That's all. I have an idea, and I'll tell you more about it later, as soon as I get the emails in that I was promised because it's in those emails."

"Will I like this idea better than hers?" Bella asked. "The only burning I'm interested in is marshmallows.

"Oh yes," Auggie grinned. "You're going to love me."

She smirked over her shoulder. "I already do. Now I'm wondering how much this one will cost me."

"Cost you?" Auggie snorted. "I paid for this. Well, actually I cashed in on a favor. It won't cost you anything. Trust me, you'll love this."

Annie looked between them, confused. "What's the idea?"

"I'll let you know when I have it," Auggie said smug. "Now go do girl stuff or something. Braid each other's hair, make a campfire or whatever. Let me work my magic."

"Go do girl stuff he says. Do our hair. Maybe we should paint his nails when he goes to sleep later," Bella suggested as she shoved the blinds closed and moved around the floor repeating the action.

The kitchen door opened and Charlie sauntered in carrying two containers. "Sue didn't believe the stomach bug thing, but she made us food anyway."

"Got you some nooky then Dad? Fun times. Keep the shades down and stay away from the windows," she replied, passing by him.

"I didn't get any nooky, Bells," he rolled his eyes at her.

"And next time, please tell us when you're leaving! I know you're a big chief and all, that you can take care of yourself, but there's a reason why I'm here!" Auggie called out from the office.

"Ah, he found the office."

"Dad. What did I say?" Bella sighed, looking at him. "We aren't here two days and they are starting their shit."

"Stay away from the windows, got it. I know how this works," Charlie muttered as he switched on the oven. "Did you get any visitors?"

"Just a nosey wolf making their presence known. I have no problem shoving my fist up his nose."

"I have rifles, want to go hunting?" Charlie said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

She laughed and considered it for a moment. "It's a thought. If they keep coming around I'll go out and let my feeling be known. For now, I think it's better to stay inside and watch what is said. Just don't let any of them in at any time."

"But I invited Sue over for dinner with Seth and Leah tomorrow night. Seth's a good kid." He hadn't expected his daughter to take this so seriously. Sure, he knew what monsters the Cullens were, but the Quileutes wouldn't do anything to harm his daughter. Especially Seth.

Auggie had made his way out of the office and leaned against the doorpost. "I think, that for the time being, you shouldn't talk to Sue anymore. Her son works security for the Cullens and I still need to do a background check on her. I know those people on the Reservation are your friends, Charlie, but right now, we have to consider that they're working against us."

"And can be manipulated to think they are helping when they aren't," Bella added. "What have you told her about us being here?"

"The usual, Bells. You're visiting your old father with two of your friends."

"Okay, good," she nodded and looked over at Annie. "You interested in stirring up some drama?"

"Depends, what do you want to do?" Annie asked as she watched Charlie put the lasagna in the oven.

Bella only smiled as she reached for her purse, "Come on. Let's do a beer run."

"Oh, yep, that sounds great," Annie said nodding as she grabbed her own purse.

"I'd tell the both of you to stay out of trouble but eh," Auggie shrugged as he walked back into the office. "You know where to find me."

"Of course. I have some other things in mind for you too," Bella said cheekily. "Be back soon!"

He shook his head, laughing, as he heard the door open and close and sat back down in the chair before hitting the 'print' button to print out the images that Barber doctored for him. Auggie didn't need to see them, but this was vital. He then started to dig into the lives of the tribe and their kids, starting with Sue Clearwater, as she was an interest to Charlie.

"The hell are those?" Charlie asked from behind him as he took notice of the printouts. "Wasn't Bella and Wilcox supposed be the ones together?"

"Yep," Auggie said as he grabbed an envelope and started to put the pictures in there. "Don't tell Annie about this, her reaction needs to be as genuine as possible," he said with a big grin on his face.

"You're setting her up for a slaughter, Son. Hope you know what you're doing," he laughed as he returned to the kitchen.

"Oh, I hope so too," Auggie said under his breath and dialled Mercer's number. He didn't like the guy, but he was currently on their team so he hoped that he could talk him into doing this for the mission. It all had to look as genuine and real as possible.

~o.O.o~

It was a few days later, in attempt to calm Bella who was spitting nails about the Quileutes and Cullen's, that she and Annie eventually found their way to Port Angeles for lunch. She was still angry over their inclusion of Seth Clearwater, and then the frequent trips past her father's house.

"This is nice," Annie said, musing as she was watching the people pass from their spot on the outside sitting area of the small brasserie they were at. "Drive two hours for lunch and a change of scenery."

"It was that or I kill a few natives," Bella murmured as she eyed the menu. "Tonight I'll sit on the porch with Dad's shot gun."

"Or, you know, have your dad's officers sit in front of your house and arrest them for stalking."

"Need to establish a pattern of behavior. Three days isn't enough and it's someone different each time. Maybe I'll start with kneecaps."

"Or miss them by just a centimeter to scare the living daylights out of them first," Annie said as she sipped her coffee. She thought she saw Ben, but when she blinked, he was gone, so it probably wasn't him. She had thought she'd see more of him now that they were on the same mission but he was really good at sticking to the shadows, being back up, and hadn't interacted with them ever since they came out here. She missed him.

Bella eyed her for a minute with a frown. "What's wrong with you? Someone kill your puppy?"

"No, I just thought I saw Ben, that's all. Made me realize that I miss him," she smiled.

The girl's eyes narrowed as she knew he was the unseen ghost in the area and if they were able to make him, then he was about to pull something. "Some advice. He may have good intentions and heart, but he's married to the job. You won't be able to come between them, no matter what he tells you," she said gently.

"Oh, I know," Annie smiled at her. "I'm married to the job too, but he's just so… there's this pull towards him, you know. And the sex is great."

Bella cringed and held her hands up. "I don't need to know that kind of shit! It's not like I'm advertising my relationship you know…"

"Why not? Jai's a catch!"

"Some things are meant to be kept sacred if they are to survive," she said seriously, implying her relationship with Auggie and their denials against everything back at the Agency.

"True, but can anything be sacred in our job?" she took another sip of her coffee and blinked when Ben - with a big smile on his face - passed their table, swiftly, and dropped a big brown envelope on the table with Bella's name on it. "What the hell."

Bella looked around and he was gone already and she was all that much more confused as she started to open the package. Peeking inside, she blinked as her mouth fell open slightly at what she saw. "I think you might be hitting the mark questioning whether things are sacred anymore, Annie," she said slowly, her fingers separating the images to see more. "Do you have something you'd like to get off your chest?"

"No?" Annie blinked, confused. "I don't know what you mean?"

"Is that so? So you're denying that you weren't with _my_ fiancé before we left on this trip?" Bella questioned as she pulled out one image and set it on the table in front of her.

Annie's eyes grew big in surprise. She was going to kill Auggie. Oh, especially if he sent those pictures to Jai. "I… I uh…." she stammered as she got to her feet and backed away from the table. "Uh… that's my twin sister?"

"You don't have a fucking twin, Annie, and your sister looks nothing like you that I can recall," she argued as she rose to her feet, pulling out more pictures.

"Okay! Fine!" Annie cried out, throwing her hands in the air. "It happened once!"

"Once? Are you sure?" Bella questioned as she pulled her phone out to call Jai. "If I ask him, is he going to say the same thing?"

"Yes! Probably! I don't know!" she said as she made sure that there was a safe distance between them. "Look, it just happened, okay? I'm sorry."

Bella scowled, dialing before she set the phone down and reached for the bread basket and threw a roll at her. "Some friend you are!" she cried, forcing tears to come out, though all she wanted to do was laugh.

She ducked to avoid the roll. "I was drunk! He was drunk! It was… one time after the Tavern and… he said that you were so _needy_."

Her head snapped up and slung the pitcher of water at her. "Needy? I'm needy?!"

" _Bella? Sweetheart? What's going on? Are you okay?"_ Jai's voice sounded from the speaker. " _Why do you sound like a dying banshee?"_

She looked down at her phone and was tempted to break it before snatching it out and glared over at her _friend_. "Didn't think you would get caught with your pants down, huh Darling?"

It was quiet on the other end of the phone before the slightest hint of an email popping up on Jai's computer could be heard. " _What the fuck?"_

"Just what I was thinking, _Dear_. So, tell me the truth. How many times was it?" she asked, shifting to a deadly calm.

Jai sighed. " _Look, I'm sorry, Bella,"_ he started. " _It's just that Annie's exciting… blonde…."_

"How many times?" Bella repeated.

" _We were sleeping together for a very long time before I proposed to you. Stupidly, following the in the moment thing you and I had going on."_

"Thanks, Jai. I'm dead now," Annie snapped as she quickly managed to get her purse.

A small smirk hinted at her lips as she stared at the woman. Pulling her ring off that she'd worn for the role, as soon as Annie was in striking distance, she grabbed her by the hair and shoved it in her mouth. "He's yours now. Choke on that," she muttered before digging some cash out and dropping on the table and walking away from the restaurant with her phone. "By the way, Jai. If you didn't get the message, it's over."

Jai let out a relieved breath. " _Thank God, I was afraid of breaking up with you myself."_

"Don't come near me otherwise I'll neuter your ass," she hissed. "I don't want to see you for anything you lying, cheating bastard!"

" _Oh, find a bridge and jump off of it, will you? Man, you're so… frustrating!"_

"I'll sooner push you off first, asshole."

"Bella?" Alice's voice sounded, hesitant. "Is everything okay?"

"Great. When it rains, there's a fucking monsoon around the corner. What do you want?" she asked, turning to face the voice as she hung up on her friend.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear… I'm so sorry, Bella, you and Jai looked so happy, I can't believe he turned out to be a snake. You deserve so much better," she said kindly. "Wanna grab a drink and drown your sorrows?"

Her eye twitched as she glanced to her boyfriend before looking at her. "It wouldn't be the first time I was in a relationship with one, Alice," she replied, a clear hint towards her brother. Looking around, she caught Ben in the distance and sighed. Knowing she needed to avoid her house for awhile, she shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to go home sufficiently hammered. Especially if I have to deal with her again."

"Oh, that's right, she's staying at your place," Jasper said, looking over his shoulder and seeing the blonde pick up all the pictures and make herself scarce by heading towards her car. "And you definitely need a ride back to Forks."

"I can get a taxi," she said evenly.

"Nonsense," Alice said as she put her arm around Bella. "Don't worry Bella, we'll take care of you, let's get you plastered."

Her eyes narrowed on the woman for a moment before glancing back at Whitlock.

"Don't worry, Bella, I won't let anything happen to you," he said with a promise in his voice and a slight nod as he had clocked Mercer as well. "But Alice is right, you need a drink to calm your nerves."

"I feel so assured," she commented sarcastically, but reluctantly let herself be pulled along. Looking to Alice, she added, "I still owe you a stab to the eye with my shoe."

"I know," Alice said gently, pulling her into the nearest watering hole. "But right now, I'm the only friend you have and I'll make sure you forget about _him_ within the hour because that's what friends do."

Bella still didn't trust her and shrugged a shoulder as she looked around the bar. Heading for a stool, she ordered a bottle of high end whiskey and turned to face the two. "Let's get one thing straight. _We_ are not friends. I think you're an annoying little twat that needs to be snuffed out. Any friendship that might have been able to be salvaged died when you sided with your brother after that trip to Italy."

"Yeah," Alice sighed. "That was a bad choice, wasn't it? Jasper's been trying to make me see the error of my ways."

"And he's an idiot to think he can try. You'd have more luck suckering him into the dark side of your family's business deals."

"Now, let's not talk about that, okay?" Alice gently rubbed her arm. "Let's get drunk. Jasper will drive us home."

Bella lowered her eyes to her hand. "And you all coming out of the woodwork and still intent on my being with Edward isn't a coincidence?"

"We're actually back in Forks because we missed the crisp air, and our beautiful home. That, and Carlisle got into a fight with his cousins again and feared that if we stayed longer that one of us would disappear and never to be found," Alice said with a shrug. "As for you and Edward, I think that that's between you and him, something you need to talk about as it's obviously still a sore point for you even after so long."

She looked amused by that bit of information. "Really? I wonder what you all did to piss them off. Had to have been pretty bad. And Edward is not happening. Not in this lifetime or the next. Not ever."

"Carlisle misappropriated some funds," Jasper said as he poured Bella and Alice a glass of whiskey after ordering himself some soda. "He's scared, that's all. And I do think it's a little bit too soon to be talking about Edward, dear," he said to Alice. "Bella just found out that her fiancé wasn't the person who he said he was, that he cheated on her."

"Right. Death to all men." Alice winked at Bella as she raised her glass. "Except for the good ones, of course. But they're hard to find."

"Hmph," she let out as she took a sip from her glass. Drawing in a deep breath, she prayed that she would be able to maintain the patience needed for the next leg of mission because she was already annoyed enough by the pint sized woman.

"So how's Charlie?" Alice smiled as she took a sip of her drink. "He must be so happy to see you."

"He's fine," Bella answered succinctly. "He's not involved with any of this and knows nothing of your family so you keep him out of that mess. Don't even think about getting him involved."

"Bella, come on," Alice sighed. "I'm just trying to make conversation. He's your father and the police chief of Forks, do you honestly think that we want him involved in our business?"

She only raised an eyebrow knowingly. Shady people maintain shady habits. "So you have no idea why Sue Clearwater, widowed barely a year, is suddenly interested in my father?"

Alice snorted and nearly choked on her drink. "What? Seriously? She can go for someone way hotter than your dad. God, that mustache of his awful!"

"You're not making yourself very _endearing_ Alice."

"You know, not everything that happens in your life is because of us, you know. You're so quick to blame us for stuff that's happening around you, but we've kept to ourselves. It's you who couldn't, can't, let things go."

Bella smiled at her. "So seeing Carlisle's name with speeches at my college was a coincidence? Finding out that Edward had been on a plane to the very places I'd just left another coincidence? Don't bullshit me Alice. It's been me avoiding your family for years. It wasn't until I made new friends, if I could even call them that now, that I finally stopped seeing him over my shoulder everywhere."

"I've always liked you, Bella, why can't we start with a clean slate?"

"I'm not a doll you can manipulate Alice. Not anymore," she said. "For the record, your taste of clothes in high school was hideous."

Alice growled as she looked at Jasper and managed to kick him underneath the table.

"Ow! Why did you do that?"

"Because you said that if I'd be nice to her that she'd be my friend again!"

"I didn't say it would be easy. Things like that take time. Women bond over stupid stuff, offer to destroy something. Like her fiancé." He then looked at Bella with a smile. "But I'm sure that if _Peaches_ is up for some mayhem and destruction, I'm sure that we can arrange something that's mutually beneficial."

The notion intrigued her and she looked at him thoughtfully. "I'm listening," she nodded. "I draw the line at blood being spilled though. Do I make myself clear?"

He slowly nodded and looked at Alice. "Go ahead, darlin', I think that if you want her on your side, you're going to have to tell her the truth."

Alice skittishly looked around before pouring herself another drink and downed it in one go. "I met Jasper when I caught him snooping around at our cousin's castle in Italy. It was endearing, really, pretending to be the lost tourist, but I saw right through that. Jazz isn't a great actor," she said as she looped her arm through his with a big smile on his face. "I took him to a very special chamber with lots of utensils to make people talk, something that Marcus likes to use, and he squealed before I could even make the first cut." She caressed his cheek. "Such a gentle soul."

Bella frowned at that, her eyes darting to Jasper's as her breathing increased. "You're a sociopath, Alice. Why are you telling me this?"

"As it turns out," Alice smiled like a Cheshire cat. "Jasper's part of the Boston mob and was instructed to steal something quite valuable out of the castle, a priceless artifact that many civilisations have fought over. Something I had my eye on for quite some time. He just didn't want me to harm his pretty face."

Sitting back, she rested her elbow on the bar. "And you're telling me this very sensitive information...for what? What do you want from me?"

"Jasper's sources told him that you work for the Smithsonian as a... " she looked pensive for a moment. "Historian? Anyway, something that could be used to get things into the country? We have stashed the priceless trinket somewhere safe, but I want it here. Do this for me and we'll destroy Jai Wilcox and burn him to the ground. No one deserves to be cheated on. No one."

"She's the reason why the Cullens are all at risk, the cousins weren't very pleased when they discovered their _treasure trove of information_ gone," Jasper smirked. "I tried to get it out of the country myself, but the resources at my disposal severely lacked. Surely you know someone who could gain access to this."

Bella hesitated, her fingers tapping on her glass. "I can't just leave the country to get the things. I have to set up a reason to go to Italy for work and it could take a little time for me to find something legal that will give the excuse."

"One of my lieutenants is already in Italy. All he needs are the papers, the security."

"If I'm doing this, it's easier to keep connections at a minimum. Can you accept that it may take a few weeks to arrange?"

Jasper tapped on his watch, as to indicate time was of the essence. "Sure, why not. However, surely you know someone who could go in your stead?"

"I just caught her sleeping with my fiancé. Uh, no?"

"Excellent, that means that if she gets caught, she'll be out of your hair forever. If she manages to get it through, she'll owe you one," Jasper grinned. "Ultimate revenge."

"And then, once we have it in our possession," Alice purred. "Jasper and I can tell everyone in our circle about who Jai Wilcox is, what he does for a living. He'll never get a job anywhere." She turned to face Bella. "You do know that he works for the CIA, right?"

Bella bit her tongue as she debated the route to take on this. "His father did, and he isn't now. Jai wasn't involved as far as I was aware. He never gave me any indication. But, but, that doesn't mean anything now. I need to think," she muttered.

Alice squealed as she rounded the table and hugged Bella. "You're the best!" She then got a syringe out of her pocket before Bella could react and injected her with it, looking at Jasper. "Dammit, you said she'd be more cooperative!" She hissed as Bella's limp body leaned against her. "Even spinning that story didn't make her see reason, she's too afraid to lose her job."

"It's not as if she has a job to go back to when she returns from her 'vacation'." Jasper sighed as he lifted Bella in his arms and flashed a charming smile at the patrons looking at them. "She's drunk, we'd better make sure she gets home safely."

Jasper hoped that Bella would have realized that he was on her side, that he was going to make sure that she'd make it out alive and in one piece with all the information she needed to bring the Cullens down. For his sake, he hoped he'd be able to do it rather sooner than later, he hated to be caught up in this. He was in too deep and he needed her to get her out.

Alice held open the door of the bar and then the car door. He carefully put Bella on the back seat and helped Alice to get in as well before driving back to Forks.

~o.O.o~

He hated it that they basically sent Bella in blind. Sure, she had a tracker in her shoe but that wasn't enough. Auggie became suspicious when it seemed as if she drifted further away from Port Angeles and in the wrong direction.

The security camera footage that he managed to get made his stomach turn into a knot. While the setup had been successful - he had received Jai's wrath over the phone and Annie hit him repeatedly after she returned home - he hadn't quite anticipated this. Bella would have been in contact by now.

By day two he was ready to march up to the Cullen's front door and demand to be told where she was, but all it took was this young man, Seth, to get into the Swan house, out of breath and apparently shaking like a leaf. "Seth, you need to calm down, son," Charlie said gently as he put the boy on a chair. "What's going on?"

"I saw her! It was a glimpse but they have Bella," he said as he hung onto the doorframe, fighting to catch his breath. "The Doc has her in one of the rooms that we aren't allowed in. Something ain't right…"

"What!" Auggie said as he burst into the living room, knocking over something that wasn't important. "What's not right!"

"Auggie! Calm down," Annie said as she used all of her weight to stop him from going on to the boy who looked scared shitless.

Seth eyed him unsure about what to say, having only trusted the Chief. "Uhh…"

"It's okay, Son, they're Bella's friends."

He didn't look so sure as he nodded to Annie. "They said she isn't her friend anymore."

"The big fella is simply very concerned, as am I," Annie smiled gently. "And I am. It was merely a set up for Bella to come back into contact with the family."

"Uh, okay, um… The room, I've gotten glances in during the renovation and it's some medical set up. I think he's looking to do something to her but they haven't indicated what," he admitted nervously. "She looked pretty drugged up, but still fought against the new guy enough to draw blood."

"New guy?" Charlie blinked.

"The Texas dude," Seth clarified. "He's supposedly mob from what the midget girl said."

Once Annie was sure that Auggie wasn't going to attack the young man, she turned around to face him. "Is there any way we can get in there unnoticed and take her back?"

"The house is surrounded by woods. A good hunter will catch anyone approaching and the tribe is full of them. Sam is one of the best, Paul a close second. The Chief could verify that. I got out there as fast as I could."

Charlie sighed. "Yeah, the boys are pretty good. If it wasn't for their intelligence, I would have hired them as new officers," he ruffled Seth's hair. "It's good that you came to me, son. If you have no intention of going back, this is the safest place to be for now."

"Um, Alice was telling the doc that she needs her alive to do something for her. He assured that she would be, and more than family in time. Whatever that means."

"See?" Annie said as she punched Auggie in the chest. "I should have gone to Italy the moment you received that email from Ben about the package."

"I want to know what the hell they are doing to her," he argued back.

"Fine, then send Ben!"

"Already sent him!" he shot at her. "It's just you and me. And the chief and we can't fucking do anything!" He grabbed his cane and headed out the back door, into the woods to let off some steam before he'd hurt someone else. It was his fault. He hadn't thought for a second that Bella would get drugged. What were they going to do to her? What were they doing to her?

It wasn't as if being a CIA agent was without its risks, they all knew the risk and didn't care about the risk, but this mission was personal, and it was worse. There was no way in telling if he'd get her back, how he'd get her back and that scared him.

If Ben knew about this package, he must have seen the whole exchange and he would have seen them taking Bella away. And he didn't tell him. Probably because of safety for himself, or maybe he went away the moment they had stopped talking about it. Auggie wasn't sure, but he did know that if Ben would return, he'd kill him.

But it wasn't Ben's fault either. The situation unfolded like it had, and if Ben would have interfered, the whole mission would have been over and it would take more time to get this shit done.

He took a deep breath as he stood only a few meters away from the house to calm himself. He was of no use to Bella like this. He needed to do what he did best, and that was gather intelligence, more. The more the better. But the whole notion that Carlisle Cullen was great at mixing chemicals made his skin crawl.

He was going to have to call Joan, discuss this with her, maybe have an entire CIA team swoop down on the Cullens and give them hell. Then again, Joan would probably say that they'd need more cause. Because they all knew the risk, saving a captured agent - even if it was personal or not - was a no-no. But she had bent the rules to send Bella to find him last year, so why not? But that was one agent who was already in the area. Not an entire strike team.

Or maybe… he could go and get Bella himself. No one would suspect the blind guy.

Then again, the blind guy couldn't do much in an environment that he wasn't familiar in.

Would Seth be able to return to his friends and keep an eye on Bella like that? Maybe even get her out? Auggie wasn't even sure he could trust him, sure, he was the kid of the woman that Charlie was supposedly seeing, but could he trust him?


	14. Chapter 14

Bella laid on the bed, dizzy and nauseous from whatever they had been keeping her under with. Opening her eyes, where she could, she was alone more often than not. But when she did hear someone with her, she was physically useless to fight whenever his voice spoke to her. A voice she once respected and admired but not feared.

"Let me go," she mumbled out, trying to open her eyes but the bright light kept them too sensitive. "What are you doing to me?"

"Relax, Bella," Carlisle spoke gently as he injected her with something. "I am sorry that I'm putting you through so much discomfort, but in time, you'll grow to see that I'm only doing this for your own happiness. And Edward's. You know I'd do anything for him."

"No, no," she protested weakly, trying to pull away. But all too soon, sleep took over again as she settled back down.

Outside the room Jasper stood waiting, straining to listen for whatever was going on. He wasn't happy about what was going on, and he hadn't realized just how far the father and son's obsession with the girl went to do something like this. Shaking his head, he ran his hand through his hair.

"What's your deal, Jasper?" Edward's voice sounded. He was leaning against the wall and looked at him. "I mean, it's great that you and Alice were able to bring her home, but why are you so interested in her? She's mine, man."

"She's innocent in this. I just don't want to see the girl hurt," he responded back. "Whatever you two are plotting with her, is only going to backfire in your faces."

Edward snorted. "Why do you think I like her so much? There's not an evil bone inside of her! It's endearing and I don't blame her for leaving me like she did. I deserved it. But times have changed."

"The way I understood it, you left her. She only got smarter and refused to take you back."

"Come on, Edward, you know this isn't fair," Alice said as she looped her arm through Jasper's. "You know better than to treat women like this."

"You brought her back, didn't you?" Edward smirked.

"Yeah! To help me! The way you're going on about this will make sure that she won't and we'll have to keep running from the Volturi forever, until we die!"

Carlisle stepped out of the room, frowning at everyone gathered. "What is this about?"

"All of a sudden Jasper and Alice have developed some morals, father," Edward said, joining Carlisle at his side. "They think that what you're doing to Bella is wrong."

"Nonsense," Carlisle huffed. "I simply removed any impurities inside her body and I'm flushing her system to make sure that she's healthy. It's been a decade, I want to make sure that she's in good shape before she can rejoin Edward," he explained, his tone of voice indicating that there was no arguing. "Now, let's join the rest of our family for lunch, shall we? Esme will hate it when the table is half empty."

Jasper narrowed his eyes on the doctor before he wrapped his arm around Alice. "We'll join you shortly," he agreed quietly before pulling her away.

"We need to do something," Alice hissed. "There's no way in hell she'll help me now!"

"I know that! I also promised her she would be safe with us," he responded. "Do you know what they are doing to her Alice? You better tell me…"

"Why do you care? Don't tell me that you have feelings for her! You're mine!"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't but there are some things that are just wrong, even for us. I wouldn't let someone violate you like that so why are you going to let her be?"

"Because it's not me. It's not you," Alice blinked at him. "Seriously, haven't you ever done something immoral to someone in your area you didn't have a connection to?"

"Alice. No. Women and children are no go areas and I draw the line here. I've been compliant with everything and I don't give two shits about all that but whatever is going on in that room I won't stand by," he whispered harshly in her face. "Maybe I should go burn your closet to make my point clear about boundaries?"

"And you should be more careful, Jasper, because what Carlisle's doing to her, could easily be done to you," she threatened before pulling away from him and walking towards the dining room.

He let out a curse as he watched her leave, not expecting her to turn like that. He needed to get Bella out of the house, and fast.

~o.O.o~

He needed Annie to make sure that the chief was alright, but since Ben was still enroute after securing the package that contained a lot of information that could incriminate both the Volturi and the Cullens and end them for once and for all, he needed someone else to make sure that the Chief was safe.

While young Seth was more than eager to take the task, Auggie decided it was a better idea to have a deputy in the house as well. It was day three and he wasn't going to have Bella stay in the house any longer. He was going in, and he was going to take her home.

Granted, the Swan house might not have been the most secure locations, but it was easy defendable and they could do that while Joan sent a team to get the Cullens. All Mercer needed to do was to get that package to her and she'd instantly send a team in. And Bella needed to be out of the house or else Auggie'd be in trouble.

Auggie was grateful for the arsenal that the police station had, and put a few flashbangs in his bag that he could easily access. He didn't need his vision and thanks to the many days of wandering around with a blindfold on her head, he was sure that Bella would be fine as well. With a little luck, Whitlock could help them to get to Annie, who'd wait with the car at the road.

This was going to end now. He wanted his Bella back and he wanted her to have her life back.

He and Annie were just about to leave the house when someone knocked on the front door. Surprised, Annie opened the door and a bloodied Jasper fell into the house. "It's Whitlock. He's in pretty bad shape," Annie said as she pulled him in and closed the door. "Charlie, help me get him to the couch. Seth, get some towels."

"Whitlock?" Auggie said surprised, carefully putting his bag down on the table. "What happened?"

"Find Bella," he said with a groan as Charlie hauled him to his feet. "She's hiding out in the woods, we had to split up."

"What do you know about my daughter?! You bastards took her!" Charlie said as he shoved him onto the couch.

"Charlie, he's a Fed," Annie said as she pushed him back. "Chill, let him talk."

"I don't give a fuck if he's the President!"

"I didn't do anything to her, as soon as I realized what was going on, I made a plan to get the both of us out. I swear, if I had known, I wouldn't have gone for her play a couple of days ago," he coughed. "She's fine. Drugged up but she's in one piece. Even in her state she managed to kick some ass and that's saying something as it looked like she'd been punched repeatedly and her eyes were swollen."

"What!"

"Auggie!" Annie pushed him into a chair. "You sit here. I'm going out to look for her. Might bring a tent and I won't stop until I find her, okay? You just make sure that Charlie doesn't kill his daughter's rescuer." She snapped her fingers at Seth. "Yo, kid, you good at tracking like the rest of your tribe?"

"Yeah," Seth nodded, concerned for his friend.

"Good, you're coming with me. Where did you come from, Jasper?" Annie started to collect some water, food and other essentials that she could carry with her while Seth took the rolled up tent standing in the corner of the room.

"West."

"I have my phone with me, but if there's no reception, I'll send the kid with information, okay? Just sit tight and stay safe," she gently squeezed Auggie's shoulder. "And you keep it together. We'll find her."

"Easy for you to say, these woods are humongous."

"Not really, it's a matter of perspective and the bit between here and the Cullen house is only a fraction. We'll find her, sir," Seth said hopeful. "I promise."

Jasper eyed the two leaving before squinting through his swollen eyes over at the former officer. "For what it's worth, Anderson, they threw me a curveball with what they planned for her. Pa and son have an unhealthy obsession with her. I don't know what they shot her up with but she fought it hard and last I saw, she was staggering out into the woods when hell broke loose."

"You two know each other?" Charlie asked confused.

"You can say that, but I'm a little surprised at the company he keeps now," Jasper laughed lightly before coughing. "Port Angeles was a set up, wasn't it?"

"It was a natural transition, Whitlock," Auggie said as he walked to the kitchen to get a bottle of alcohol. "Yeah, it was and I hope it was worth it so we can end this shit once and for all."

"If we can get our hands on that package in Italy, it will be."

"It's already enroute to Langley, I expect a phone call soon and a strike team by morning, and I sure hope that Bella will be out of the woods by then."

Whitlock grimaced and processed what he was hearing. "Bella a spook too?"

"She's been chasing the Cullens and the Volturi for years," Auggie smiled as he handed him the bottle of alcohol. "Here, it'll dull your pain."

He couldn't help but laugh as he took the bottle. "She had them chasing her around all those years before Alice fucked up. She's good."

"Of course she is, she's my daughter," Charlie huffed as he started to check Whitlock over.

"I knew shit was off when she said she was engaged to a Wilcox. She was too good for him," he sighed.

"Uhm, she didn't say she was engaged. Wilcox said they were engaged and trust me, she did not take that lightly and beat him up," Auggie smirked as he sat down on the table next to Charlie.

Jasper let out grunt as he eyed him. "The good doc got injured in the fight but I'm afraid Edward has flown the coop. Wouldn't doubt if he heads south to cool off now."

"Or maybe he'll be an idiot and tries to kidnap Charlie for leverage. If he does, he'll be sorry," Auggie said angrily. "You had us all fooled too, by the way. We thought you were a crappy fed."

The man only shrugged with a small smile. "Or maybe I'm that good?"

"Yeah, I thought something was off, it was unlike you."

"She's gonna need a full work up when we find her. I'd suggest, keeping it off book because depending on what they did, until it clears, she might not be cleared for work again," he warned.

"I'd be happy if she would never set another foot in that building," Charlie muttered as he cleaned the cuts on Jasper's head.

Auggie let out a sigh. "Even though she's mentioned taking a break, she still loves her job Charlie."

"I said that I'd be happy. I can't tell her to stop doing what she loves, Auggie, but there are a million other jobs she could do, safer jobs, that won't stop her from living a full life without risking her own. I mean, I love my job. Maybe a little too much, and it cost me."

"We'll see, I just want her back now," he said, getting up again and tried to find his phone to keep it close.

"Something I'm missing here?" Jasper asked, confused.

"My daughter is as good as engaged to Auggie," Charlie said, thumbing over his shoulder to Auggie.

"I haven't asked her yet! Probably won't for a long time!"

"They're a little bit in denial about how they're in for the long haul with each other. It's a little infuriating, but endearing at the same time."

"Call us cute to Bella's face and that's the last thing you'll ever say," Auggie said as he paced the length of the house like a caged animal. Annie had only just left, but he hoped that she'd find her soon. He wanted to make sure she was alright, or at least going to be alright.

"Dude, I think you need this bottle more than I do right now," Jasper said concerned.

"I need to hit something," Auggie said with a growl. "And if I drink, it might be you."

"Hey, I already took a beating so that your girl could get away. I'm not about to take another. You're no help to her like this so calm the fuck down Soldier," he demanded, before getting dizzy.

"And you need to rest, son," Charlie said as he helped him lay down. "I'll call in a friendly doctor who owes me a few favors to check you over."

"Thank you Chief," he muttered as he accepted his orders but kept his eyes on Auggie.

"He'll be fine, he's been like this for days," Charlie assured him and covered him with a blanket. "Get some rest. I'll call the doc."

~o.O.o~

Bella tripped and stumbled her way as far from the Cullen house as she could get. She didn't know which direction she had gone, only that she ran.

Leaning against a tree to take a breather, she looked around but it was all the same. Blurred trees. Looking over her shoulder, she couldn't tell if she was being followed or not, but every instinct told her to keep moving.

"If I ever see another Cullen again, I don't care. They are dead," she promised herself, pushing forward.

"Bella! You come back! Right this second!" Alice's voice screeched in the distance. "We're not done!"

Bella sneered as she pushed forward until she nearly tripped over a fallen log, landing on the other side. She tried to keep from crying out to maintain her position.

"Alice! We'll have to return for her. Let's go!" She heard Edward's voice call out. "Felix is coming!"

"Where the fuck is our security?" Alice sneered as she stomped after her brother. "They're supposed to keep people in too!"

"Probably off drinking. We need to go," he insisted. "I have our passports."

"No, let's get that father of hers, please, Edward. Let's get Charlie. She'll come find us again because we have him. Please!"

"Your pet project is probably there by now! No doubt he called in his idiots. We don't have time for this, Alice!" He grabbed her arm and started to haul her off. "I have to wait to get what I want, so do you."

"But we were this close, Edward," she said with a whine. "Why lose now? I have to admit, Jasper was a mistake on my part and I screwed up but let me make it right?"

"Stop acting like a spoiled brat and don't make me throw you over my shoulder. Let's go."

Bella stayed very still as she listened to the sounds disappear until there was nothing left but the sound of her heart throbbing inside her chest and the rush of adrenaline wearing off. She had to get home, she knew that it was going to be dark soon and it was going to get cold. She had to keep moving.

She sat up and felt her head spin. As she adjusted to that, she felt around herself with her hands to find a stick. There was no way that her eyes were going to clear up any time soon and she needed to keep moving. A stick seemed like the best idea. She now understood why it was difficult for Auggie to move around in an unfamiliar surrounding, it sucked not to know where things were. Like that log.

That log had definitely hurt her somewhere, but the remaining adrenaline in her body made sure that she didn't feel it that much. She stumbled around for what seemed hours, before hearing someone other than hear trample some twigs. She froze on the spot, praying that her nightmares hadn't returned.

"Bella," Annie said as she ran towards her and put a coat around her shoulders. "It's me, Annie, you're safe now."

She jerked, blinking as she turned her head toward her voice. "Walker?" She asked, unsure. "Where am I?"

"Way off course," she said as she helped Bella to sit down. "Sit, have some water and some food if you want it."

"No food. No food. What happened?" She asked as she tried to drink the water.

"You were gone for a couple of days," Annie explained as she kept an eye on Bella as she erected the tent. They were too far away to make it home without freezing. Seth was already on his way back to alert Charlie, but for someone else to come would take hours. "I don't know much other than Whitlock got you out and that you were drugged. And obviously beaten. I wouldn't like to be a Cullen right now."

Bella grinned as she looked back towards her. "I'd like a picture of Paul. For a girl, he didn't expect me to fight back."

"That's one of the bigger ones, right?" Annie smirked. "We'll definitely have to arrange that then. Frame it and hang it in his jail cell behind unbreakable glass to remind him that he got his ass kicked by you."

She shivered and pulled the coat tighter around her. "What are you doing? Putting a tent up? Anyone coming?"

"Yeah, you need to stay warm. Seth has gone back so someone is coming in a couple of hours. Like I said, you're way off course," Annie finished setting up the tent and moved in front of Bella with her flashlight. "You can't see?"

"Drugs and a few hits to the head. Should clear up. Everything is blurry," she described, shrugging impishly. "They didn't expect a partially blind girl to kick ass. Remind me to make it up to Auggie _big time_."

Annie hummed as she looked over Bella's face, seeing no permanent damage on the surface. "How so? What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. Just a personal thing at home," she smiled.

"I do have to admit that for someone who's partially blinded, you came a long way. I would have imagined you being a lot closer to the house," Annie said as she checked her phone for a signal but couldn't get any. She then started to dig a little fire pit to make a small fire for a little bit of warmth. If anyone would show their face, she'd shoot them. "It's also a good "Good thing that I found you when I did, there's a big drop a few meters from here."

"Oh...that would suck," she commented. "Need some help? I can try…"

"You just sit there and relax, I got this," Annie retorted as she used her matches to light some leaves and twigs. "Jasper seems to think that they're going South to regroup. Should they be dumb enough to visit your dad's home, though, rest assured that they'll have to deal with Hurricane Auggie."

"Auggie...how was he?"

"I've never seen him this… I don't know… unravelled? Like a caged animal. He wanted to do something so bad and realized that he had to rely on others to get to you. He was about to head out with a few flash bangs to get you, knowing that he didn't need his vision to get you out when Whitlock stumbled in."

Bella sighed and slumped against the log. "He's going to be worse after this. I wonder how long it takes before he calls Joan and fills her in. He'll be happy for my being stuck at a desk."

"I heard him mumble something about making Disney last?" Annie mused. "I doubt he'll call Joan, though. He sent Ben to Italy because he overheard something about something of importance. He'll take it from Joan and she'll likely deploy every strike team out there to get them all."

"We have plans to visit Disney World. Then all the Disneylands. Sounds like he's looking to keep to it," she smiled. "Did he tell you that my father tried talking him into breaking up my fake engagement?"

"He did," Annie grinned. "I thought that was a great move on your dad's part. You know, I think he blames himself for what happened to you. It was his idea. He got drunk last night and wished he had eyes that could actually see so he could get to you. I mean… I've never seen him like that before. Zen Auggie, not being so zen. It was scary."

Yawning, Bella nodded. "I'll talk to him. But hopefully they can get them at customs before they leave the country again."

"Yep," Annie got to her feet and gently tapped Bella's arm. "Come on, let's get you inside the tent, have some rest before they come and take you to safety." Bella wasn't struggling when Annie suggested that she should get some sleep and guided her towards the tent. Annie laid down beside her, making sure she could reach for the gun if she needed to.

Bella fell asleep quickly, much to Annie's initial fear. If Bella had a concussion, she shouldn't be sleeping, but on the other hand, she'd gone through so much that maybe it was best to let her. Letting out a relieved breath, she listened to the sounds in the forest and hoped that Seth would make it home in no time for someone to come and pick them up.

Two hours into Bella's sleep, Annie got slapped in the face by an arm that shot out. "Ow," she muttered as she pushed Bella's arm off of her. Bella sighed and reached for Annie instead. Zeroing in, Bella found her and rolled into her. Soon, most of Bella's limbs were entwined with hers and Annie found herself quite unable to move.

"Okay, this is not cute," she muttered, trying to wiggle her way out of the woman's hold, but all that did was cause Bella to hold onto her even tighter. "Oh come on. Let go. I'm not Auggie."

"You're softer," Bella sleepily muttered and put her head on Annie's shoulder before sighing happily. "Better."

"Ugh." The night passed slowly for Annie, no matter what she tried to escape from her colleague. By daybreak, voices started to come through the tent, calling out for them. "In the tent!" Annie called out as she tried to untangle herself again. "Bella, wake up, they're here."

"Five more minutes," she muttered.

"Oh, thank God," Charlie said as his head appeared in the opening of the tent. "You two are alright."

"A little help here?" Annie asked helpless.

"Oh, of course," Charlie said as he got down on his hands and knees and gently rubbed Bella's arm. "Come here, my little sloth, hang on to the fathership."

As if by magic, Bella untangled herself from Annie and found herself wrapping herself around Charlie. "Five more minutes."

"You can sleep when we get you back. Auggie is waiting for you," he whispered in her ear. "He's been chomping at the bit to get to you."

She lifted her head and looked around unhappily. "Where's Auggie?"

"Home. We needed space in the car for you and Annie," Charlie smiled at her and caressed her hair. "Come on," he said, pulling her out of the tent and into his arms as he got up. "Let's get you home. You can sleep in the big bed."

"I want Auggie," she mumbled with a pout as she looked around bleary eyed. "Mickey Mouse."

"You'll have him in an hour or so, I promise," he said as he put her in the backseat of his car. "Coming, Annie?"

"Yes, but I'm going to sit in front so she can tangle herself around you while your deputy drives. I've had enough Bella time to last me the rest of my life."

"We brought coffee in a thermos," Charlie grinned. "Didn't the boys warn you what she's like?"

"Of course they did, I just didn't expect it to be that bad. She's like a boa constrictor. Move and she tightens her hold on you."

He smiled as he held her close. "I doubt Auggie complains."

"That's Auggie. Whatever those two do in bed is none of my business," she said as she closed the car door and gratefully took the thermos the deputy handed her. "I'll tie her up next time."

"Knowing my daughter, and I agree with you on too much information, but she might actually enjoy that Miss Walker," he teased. "Let's just get her back to him and both of them settled."

~o.O.o~

He was sitting on the porch, anxiously awaiting Bella's return, while Whitlock was still passed out on the couch. Auggie still wanted to hit something but at least Bella would be back with him soon and all was going to be right in the world.

Until his phone rang.

"Joan!"

" _Hey Auggie, just to let you know, we're sending a team to Forks to comb through the Cullens house. There are various teams enroute to Italy and the borders are being watched. Well done, you two."_

"Thank Mercer, he went to get it," he said as he kept an ear out for the car. "So this means it's over?"

" _As good as."_

"Good," he said as he got to his feet. The car was almost there. "I have to go. Talk to you later," Auggie hung up and put his phone on vibrate. No one was going to disturb him now. He wanted to walk into the road towards the car to get to Bella faster, but he didn't want to walk into the road or tumble off the porch. That would be suicide. He hated to wait patiently.

"Look at that, there's a cute little puppy waiting on the porch," Annie grinned as she got out of the car, having perked up from the amount of coffee she'd been drinking.

Bella was more awake by the time they reached the house and smiled at the sight of her boyfriend. When the door opened, she climbed out but was still a little unsteady as she made her way across the lawn. "Auggie… I am so getting an 8x10 of you and Mickey framed for the apartment."

"I don't care if you want to plaster it all over the apartment as long as you're in it," he let out a breath of relief and held out his arm for her.

She went right into his arms, wrapping hers around him as she buried her face in his chest before moving them up around his neck. "I'm so ready for that vacation. Are we done here?"

"As good as," he murmured in her ear as he lifted her up. "Joan doesn't know, only that there was a package that Mercer delivered," he kissed the top of her head and gently carried her inside, making sure he didn't bump her against anything. He could taste blood on her forehead. "Have you been bleeding?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "Got banged up by the wolves and then the woods but I made sure I went out swinging. Our experiment at home helped too."

"Oh hey, that's great," he grinned. "Who knew that would come in handy? What do you say about a nice, hot bath and then comfy pyjama, a doctor to check you over and bed?"

"Hmm yes as long as you're with me but I'll pass on the Doctor," she hedged. "If it gets back to work…"

"It's one of your dad's friends. He also checked over Whitlock, and it'll be off book," he said as he climbed the stairs with her in his arms. "I just want to make sure you don't have any internal bleeding or anything."

She sighed and nodded against him but said nothing else. She only tightened her hold as she clung to him, not wanting to leave.

He set her down in the bathroom and briefly let go of her to start filling up the bath before he closed the door and started to help her out of her clothes. "We'll burn these," he said softly as his fingertips caressed her skin, inspecting it for any scratch or wound while discarding her clothes. "They didn't force themselves on you, did they?"

She blinked, hesitating. "No, not that I can tell. I was sedated for a lot of the time and Carlisle would just put me back out. I was alone mostly that I recall when I was awake," she answered softly, her fingers burying into his hair at his neck.

"That's the most decent thing they did then," he muttered as he bent his knees and helped her out of her pants and held on to her as he checked the bath and its temperature. "Almost done," he said as he started to undress himself. "I am so sorry I put you through this."

"As long as it's you. I couldn't handle someone else. But I'm putting in for personal time as soon as we get back. I don't care what Joan and Arthur has to say," she said, stepping out of her pants for him. "I don't remember but I think someone stabbed Carlisle."

"Strange," he mused as he shut off the tap and helped her into the warm water. "Whitlock said the same thing."

"It was all happening so fast, Auggie," she repeated, her body shaking as she tried to keep from crying. "Edward and Alice were chasing after me into the woods… I don't know what he wanted to do with me, and I don't think I want to know. I do know I don't want to leave you again. Not anytime soon."

"Shh," he said as he got in the bath behind her and pulled her against him. "It's okay, you're safe now and I'm not letting you go," Auggie ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. "And it's okay to cry. Be angry, be sad, be scared, let it all out. Just know, that I am here and I'm not letting you go."

Cry she did. Turning in his arms so that she could lay the side of her head against him, the wall she held up simply broke and she broke down. Guiding her down into water, Bella simply laid against him as she cried out the previous days until she had no energy left and begun to nod off on him. "When they catch them, I want them dead," she mumbled.

He gently scrubbed her clean as well as he could and then reluctantly woke her. "Just stay awake for a little bit longer," he said sweetly. "You need to get out of the tub and dried off."

"Ugh," Bella let out as she held on to him. "We can sleep in the tub."

"If this was our house, I'd say yes, but we're at your dads and we're naked," he softly laughed and tried to get up. "Come on, Bella, he said you could have the big bed."

She clung tightly, her head turning to press her lips to his neck. "Stay here a little longer," she murmured between kisses. "We'll move to the bed eventually."

"Okay, whatever you want," he ran his fingertips over her back. They didn't have to do anything. His phone was still on vibrate so even if Joan would call, he wouldn't be able to hear it. Joan was going to kill him and he didn't care. "So what did you stab him with?"

Bella grunted displeasure at the question and leaned back to shift on his lap, straddling him more. "Whatever there was around I guess," she answered absently before resuming her attentions on the other side of his neck, nipping lightly.

His hands moved over her body as he decided to let her do whatever she wanted, whatever she needed. One of his hands wandered off between her legs and squeezed her inner thigh. He couldn't deny that he wanted, needed, her like this as well. A validation. A release.

"Auggie," she begged as she rubbed herself against him, lifting her head to brush her lips across his. "Please…"

He kissed her lips as his hand moved closer to her core, the other still steady on her back. "I'm here," he said softly. "All yours."

She looked at him hazily as she nodded, "I need you. I just want you." Her arms slid down over his chest and out wherever she could reach. "Don't want to leave again…"

"Then don't," his finger circled her lips below. "I don't want you to leave. Ever. And I'm not going to leave you. I don't care what everyone else says."

Bella's lips curled into a hint of a smile before she claimed his in a hungry kiss. She moaned objections as she pressed herself into his hand. "I do love you but I really need to feel you, Auggie."

"What? You mean like this?" he said playfully as a finger slipped inside of her.

She let out a breath and bit on his lip. "You're such a tease," she whispered, before reaching behind her to find his cock to give him a few strokes of her own.

"Yep," he let out a breath before continue to kiss her and slipped another finger inside of her. He was glad to mentally report that it didn't feel as if someone else had been there and he was grateful for that. He didn't want her to have to deal with something like that on top of all of this. "I like teasing you."

"I know you do, but can we tease later?" She asked, her voice husky with want.

"I'm all yours," he kissed her greedily and helped her shift a little so that she could lower herself down on him. "All yours."

Bella moaned as she felt him fill her, turning her head to tuck it into his neck as she rode him slowly in the bath water. She wanted to say so much more, but couldn't find the words. All she was left was to pour herself into her physical affections for the man.

Grinning, he put his hands on her hips to make sure that she wouldn't slip off. "I did kinda promise your dad we wouldn't while everyone was in the house," he whispered. "Breaking the rules has never felt so good though."

She opened her eyes and grinned. "Just have to keep it down and he won't know, though I doubt he doesn't have his suspicions."

He moved his hand between them and rubbed her clit. "Very quiet," he said huskily as he could feel her body respond to his touch. He turned his head towards hers and kissed her.

"Need you," she murmured as she pressed harder, pushing herself to that needed completion quickly. Her increased pace stirred the water up more, splashing some over the edge of the tub.

It didn't take long to feel how she got completely swept off her feet as her body combusted and as she tightened around him, she pulled him over the edge as well. All the pent up worry, rage and the feeling of helplessness dissipated instantly and he realized that he had needed this as much as she needed him to re-validate her existence. He held her close as they both rode out their highs, gently drawing circles on her shoulder blades with his finger tips.

Bella hummed her contentment as she relaxed under his touch. Looking around, when the cool air began to mingle with his light touches, she suppressed a shiver. "Hm, definitely more trips to the bath for us," she smiled, nuzzling his jaw.

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "But for now, let's get ourselves dry and into bed."


	15. Chapter 15

Returning to DC from the events of Forks, Bella simply was anxious to leave for her personal time. She didn't hesitate to hand Joan her time off request at the same time as her report on the events from her home town.

Two months of traveling to the children's theme parks, and not attempting to worry about life, slowly helped her get over the trauma she endured. The only stipulation she found herself in, was having no desire to ever return to Washington state. If Charlie wanted to see her and Auggie again, he was going to have to travel to them.

Auggie was amazing in making her forget, but his psychological insights rivalled her own. Any other agent in her exact situation would need therapy, but they sorted it out between them and she was more than ready to go back to work. To a certain degree. She was going to request not to be sent on year long assignments anymore, if she had to be blunt, a normal nine to five job sounded amazing, home for the weekends, but she refused to take desk duty.

It was as if Joan and Arthur knew that she needed some distance from the CIA and only called when they wanted to know how they were doing, talking about their travels. No work related stuff. Bella knew that Auggie checked his emails in the morning and in the evening, mainly because he didn't trust Barber enough to have things under control.

Jai and Annie had teamed up and it looked like it was a match made in heaven. Bella didn't say anything about it. Auggie loved the people he worked with, although he had made it clear that if things would change in the hierarchy of the agency, he would seriously contemplate leaving and find work in the private sector.

It was something she hadn't considered before, but Auggie told her that some companies that had been trying to poach him from the agency allowed some freedom, room for a personal life. That, and the pay was better. Not that they'd have to do it for the money, but even that would provide more freedom.

She had considered to have a complete change in career, put her qualifications to use and become a psychologist but despite everything, she liked being in the field.

Visiting so many states, countries, was not new for Bella, but to do so for personal pleasure was a foreign concept. The first few parks, they had started discussing their future and he teasingly proposed at each location. It had become part of their 'thing' and she was afraid to admit that the more often the words came from his mouth, she wanted to say yes.

The last park had been Paris, mostly because Auggie wanted to make this beautiful city something positive in her life again, as it had been the catalyst for so much shit storm. She had expected him to propose to her there as well, and she had planned on saying yes, but he didn't. And a part of her was disappointed. Most of her being was disappointed, had something happened between Japan and Paris that had made him reconsider?

While it had been all fun and play, teasingly asking her to marry him, he realized that he actually wanted to marry her. Make her his, make sure that whatever happened that she'd be taken care of, that he wouldn't lose her. That she would know that she never had to leave again, that she always had a home to come home to. And in all honesty, it had scared him shitless.

Sure, he had been married before, but he had been young, truly smitten and an idiot. Who would marry for real for an assignment anyway? Helen had been gorgeous, Bella had liked her too and he mainly followed his dick and got his heart broken when Helen got killed. He barely survived that and lost his eyesight in the process of running away from his responsibilities and feelings.

What if he and Bella got truly married, for real, and she would get killed on assignment as well? He wasn't sure if he was ready to find out. He liked what they had now, it was safe, and he knew that she wouldn't leave him, but to marry and tempt fate? He didn't want her to die, he couldn't do that to her, or Charlie. Himself.

Auggie knew that it was an irrational fear and that what happened with Helen wouldn't happen again. The likelihood of it happening a second time was very slim. He was such an idiot. It was their last night in Paris and he took her out to dinner on a vintage wooden barge, which was moored along the River Seine. He'd been there only once before, but the atmosphere had stuck. There was good music - they liked to get bands who played gypsy jazz and he loved him some good jazz, and the food was amazing.

After their meal, they strolled along the river back towards the Eiffel Tower and he decided to do the ultimate cheesy thing someone could do, apart from proposing in a Disney theme park. While she was temporarily distracted as he told her to describe the metal monstrosity to him, he went down on one knee for her and even provided her with a ring. Nothing too flashy, but nothing too dull either.

Turning to look back at him, Bella swallowed as she found him on his knee. "Auggie? What… are you for real this time?" She asked even as her eyes were fixated on the box in his hand.

"Yes, and if you're going to say no, it's okay too," he smiled at her, he could feel his heart pound in his chest, it was ridiculous. "But I love you, Bella. And I could say all the cheesy things such as how you complete me and how I want to make sure that you'll always be by my side and stuff, but you already know that. I want us to go on the scary adventure that's called marriage, I think we're going to do great."

"To tell you the truth, I was more than a little disappointed you didn't ask at Disney this time," Bella started after a moment of digesting.

"I chickened out, but I straightened myself out. I mean it, marry me."

"And I wanted, when you asked this time, to say yes," she said as she stepped closer, her hand running over his arm to pull him up. "It is still a yes… Yes…"

He got back to his feet, his hand running up her arm to find her face and passionately kissed her. Auggie could feel his heart slow down again in relief. "Oh, I was so afraid you were going to say no again."

"Not this time," she laughed as she kissed him again. "All the times we joked, kinda wore me down. I can't think of my life without you."

"Me neither," he smiled widely as he fumbled with the box to get the ring out before taking her hand and gently put it around her finger. "Look at that, it's even the right size."

She looked down at her hand and smiled tearfully. "It's beautiful. When did you get it? You've been with me almost every minute?"

"Well… last week when I was 'checking my email', I was in fact sending an email to your dad with a description of what I had in mind and he went out to buy it for me. Had it delivered to our hotel and I picked it up when I 'went to get some ice'," he grinned.

Bella lightly punched his side at his sneakiness. "Sneaky a- I'm going to kill my dad."

"I didn't know who else to ask apart from one of my brothers but I think that if I had done that, they'd have gone for something entirely different," he smiled and gently cupped her face before kissing her again. "I love you."

"I love you too," she responded between kisses. "It's our last night here but I think I'd rather go back to hotel to for a private celebration."

"I think that's a great idea," he grinned.

~o.O.o~

Celebrate they did, all the way home. Bella had even surprised him in the lavatory on the flight on the trip back to DC. It didn't stop over the weekend, her desire for him with the new 'naming' of their relationship. Even as far as surprising him with oral sex when they had intended for a quiet break of simply reading. It only found them back in bed for a number of hours that night. While it had previously been a concern for both, that it might have changed something, she felt it only made her feelings stronger.

By Monday, having to return to Langley put a new dampener on her spirit and she had a renewed stubbornness on leaving the bed. The moment the alarm went off, she wrapped the blankets around herself tighter and refused to budge.

"Cute," Auggie snorted and tapped on the mountain of blankets next to him. "Come on, who knows what Joan has planned for you?"

"Knowing them, they have a plane ticket waiting to send me to Guam," she answered into the mattress. "I don't know shit about Guam. They can send Walker. Tell them I caught some alien flu while overseas. I'm sick." Bella proceeded to exaggerate a fake cough as she lifted her head to face him. "I need another week of sick time."

"They won't send you to Guam," he laughed as he poked the mountain. "You're their favourite, remember? They'll likely want to keep you around now that everything's over. Worst thing that can happen is that they send you to the Farm to give some workshops."

Bella shuddered at the thought of the Farm. She wasn't very keen over the thought of dealing with newbies with attitude problems. "Can I like veto that too?" she pouted, rolling over.

"Probably not. But, you'll never know until you get your pretty little ass in gear. I for one, dread going to work and deal with the mess that Barber will have made out of the office."

"He avoids your office and works from his desk when he covers for you," she reminded him. "It's everyone else that decides to visit you need to worry about. But _fine_. If you promise I get a piece of _your_ ass later, after work. Maybe we can pull over somewhere?"

"You are insatiable," he kissed her before leaving the bed. "Come on, gorgeous, if we shower together, we save some water."

She couldn't help but grin at his suggestion and threw the covers off of herself. "Great thing we're already naked my sexy fiance," she cheered as she got up to start for the bathroom. Pausing at the doorway, she turned around, hesitating. "I know the doc said that everything would pass, that it was only sedatives they gave me, but you don't think they had some weird reaction to make me super horny?"

"I don't think that there's a drug that can make you super horny for a long period of time without retaking it, but maybe something happened there to alter your brain chemistry, I don't know," Auggie nearly bumped into her as she was standing in the middle of his path. "If you're worried about it, you should get yourself checked over again."

"Maybe. Do you think I should?" She bit her lip unsure. "I mean, I feel fine. Okay, really. Great, even."

"Well, we've been off work for the last few months and could do whatever we wanted, like sleep in or not sleep at all… you could always see how this…." he ran a finger up her arm. " _Energy_ sorts itself out at the end of the week. Or not. And then reconsider."

Bella's lips curled as she calmed slightly and leaned into him, wrapping her arms over his shoulders. "I love you," she told him. "Let's conserve water and maybe, _maybe_ , we'll make it into work on time."

They did make it in time for work, with five minutes to spare, and Joan was already waiting for them. "My office, now," she commanded, causing everyone to look at the two of them.

"First day back, we're already in trouble?" Auggie muttered as he followed Bella's lead.

"I know, right?" she replied as she lead them into the office. At seeing Joan's face, she tried to smile. "Whatever it was, we didn't break it. We weren't even in the country this time or on the clock."

"And I'm thrilled that you two had so much fun during your time away," Joan said as she closed the door. "This is about the last case you've worked on."

Bella immediately sobered as her body tensed at the mention of it. "What of it?" she asked. "You said it was done and over. I'd like to not revisit it again."

"Oh, you don't have to, we've managed to get them all, but after the debrief, you walked out and went on your merry way and you forgot to mention one thing, the tiny little detail that you all seemed to have left out of your reports."

"What would that be?" she asked, staring back at her. She kept her face carefully neutral in the moment but she could feel her heart rate increasing as the memories of her time inside the Cullen's house creeping up on her. "I included everything that needed to be said."

"Oh, perhaps," Joan said as she leaned against the desk in front of Bella. "Two weeks after you left, I received a phone call from a worried father and he gave me some additional details that you all forgot to mention. How did he put it? Oh, yes. 'Oh, Joanie, are those drugs out of my daughter's system?'"

Irritation flooded the young agent as she struggled to suppress her anger. Closing her eyes, she shook her head and shrugged. "What do you want me to say? I did get checked by a doctor and he assured me that they would pass they were only sedatives that I was dosed with. If you want the labs, I can get you them, but they were run under a false name. I didn't want a paper trail here in connection to _them_. Especially after everything."

"As far as the agency is concerned, they were nothing more than a decade long mission for everyone involved and we strife in having everyone's medical history complete because who knows? Maybe a future op would have serious health risks and without a complete history, you could die!" Joan shot at her. "And I understand, I really do, they've been your nightmare for so long but you're my employee, Bella. I need to be sure that your health is 100 percent. Physical and mentally."

She shifted beside Auggie and didn't respond. Lowering her head with a nod, she waited for the order to come. She knew it was on the tip of her tongue.

"Joan, I've spent the last two months, every single day, with Bella. Physically she's all healed up and we've worked on the things that were going on inside her head and-"

"Auggie, you should have known better," Joan scolded him. "I'm starting to regret my decision of flying Bella back from Italy and have her work with you. Now, Bella, you're expected in the lab and after you're done there, you have an appointment with Dr. Slenk for a physical and after that, you're meeting with Dr. Beene for a chat."

She was initially scared at her words about her working with Auggie. Scowling at the list of appointments, she turned and walked out of the office, closing the door roughly behind her in her frustration on her way to the first stop. Bella only hoped that if she appeased her now, and quickly, she won't consider sending her away again.

Running her hand through over her head, Joan looked at Auggie a little bewildered. "How about you tell me your account of what really happened in Forks now?"

"You've read my report," he said easily. "I'm sorry I left out the part where she was dosed with something, but it was insignificant."

"And do you recall what drugs were used? Because you of all people should be aware of the lasting effects that these things can have on a person. Bella has never endured anything like that before."

Auggie sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. "We managed to clear out the home from any type of drugs before the CIA team swooped in thanks to an old friend of Bella's. They didn't find anything other than sedatives. It seems like they wanted to keep her sedated until things would quiet down."

Joan studied him and could see that there was a hint of worry in his face still. "Let's hope it really ended there. The FBI caught Edward and Alice Cullen at Los Angeles airport trying to board a flight to Brazil where the US has no extradition agreement in place. I want to wait to tell her that they are in custody until we get the clearance from her exams first. Until then, she's chained to the desk."

"She is experiencing some hypersexuality, but I think that it has something to do with the experience itself, not because of the drugs. More like a mental component."

"Let's hope she mentions it to the psychologist. I would hate to be in that room considering her own degree," she smiled slightly.

"I know it was irresponsible to bail, but she deserved it. And she's fine. We both made sure of that. She'll eat Beene for lunch."

"How are you dealing with all this? It couldn't have been easy for you," she said concerned as she made her way over to him. Reaching out, she patted his elbow to guide him to the couch to sit and talk.

Sighing, he followed her and sat down. "I wasn't fine, but now I am. It was nothing but a very fucked up assignment and it's now in the past. I'm ready to go back to work."

"I'm sure you are, but do you honestly think that Bella is?"

"Truthfully? She doesn't want to leave again, so if you could give her missions that don't require long absences from home without coddling her, that would be in her best interest," he then shook his head, a smile on his face. "But then again, who am I to tell you that? What went down in Forks was my fault. I should have known better but there wasn't a better option to get what we needed. I knew that they were going to take her. I figured that one last push from her part would end this nightmare for her and it did, it's just that I didn't anticipate the fall out."

Joan sighed and hoped that it wouldn't last long, whatever was going through the girl's head. "How was your trip? I'm sure the both of you have had enough of Disney by now."

"Actually, we were thinking about extending our trip and visit all Six Flags," he remarked with a playful smile. "But we figured you wouldn't agree to that."

"No," she agreed, amused. "I'm glad that you are both doing better, for the most part. Go settle back in and hopefully we have some news about Bella by the end of the day - if she doesn't give them too hard of a time."

"I hope she does," Auggie said with a grin as he got to his feet. "She just loves being a pain in the neck. I'll be at my desk."

"That she does, Auggie. That she does," Joan smiled. "If there is anything to be concerned about, I'll see if I can tell you, but I do ask that you also keep me informed if there is any changes with her that we need to keep an eye on as well."

He paused for a second at the door. "No, there's nothing work related that you should know and should keep an eye out for," he eventually said, knowing that Bella would rather tell Joan herself about their engagement - if at all. He then found his way to his desk, relieved to be out of Joan's crosshairs and started to boot up his computers.

~o.O.o~

Bella made it through giving blood and her physical quickly, but when she reached the office for her psychological evaluation, she sat staring across the office obstinately with her arms crossed and her jaw clenched.

Deborah Beene looked at the woman sitting in front of her and sighed. "Shall we go for a coffee?"

"The coffee in this place sucks," Bella replied. "And I'm not authorized to leave."

"Ah, but allow me to let you in on a little secret…" she smiled warmly. "The best coffee is served at our science division, they often bribe agents to bring back coffee from all over."

"I don't need any coffee. If I want, I'll wait until I get home or Auggie will bring me my own."

Beene shrugged and walked to the mini fridge in her office. "Vitamin water then?" She said as she held up a bottle that she was going to drink. "How's life with Auggie? It must have been quite the change for you to live with a blind person."

Bella's leg bounced with her agitation at her bringing Auggie up as she pressed her lips together. Turning a head away, she was resistant to discussing anything unrelated to work as it had little to no merit on her forced visit to the woman's office.

"How's your father? Did you enjoy spending time with him in Forks?"

Her fingers curled into a fist, knowing it was his loose lips that had sent her there, and she breathed out slowly through her nose. Her eyes turned to glare at the psychologist. "What are you getting at here? These questions about Auggie and my father have no bearing on my job and ability to do it. My personal life outside of these walls are of no concern to you or the CIA," she snapped.

"Actually, your relationship with Auggie has everything to do how you perform your job and he will have his ass in here as well," Beene countered as she sat down in the other chair and opened her bottle of water. "Tell me about Forks."

Swallowing the bile that threatened to come up at the memory, she tightened her arms across her chest more. "I was ordered to make contact with my ex and his family who returned to the area and gain intel. I managed to get inside with his sister, but she had conflicting plans to what the rest of the family wanted with me and drugged me. Most likely to take me with them when they decided to leave."

Beene pursed her lips as she listened. "I was more thinking about Forks, the town you grew up in, surely you have some happy memories there?"

"You have my records. It's a boring town with one traffic light," Bella deadpanned. "I left as soon as I graduated and was picked up by the Agency because of my involvement with the Cullens there. That's a stupid question."

She simply smiled at that. "Have you ever resented the CIA for recruiting you for your involvement with that family? Do you now?"

"I don't regret or resent anything here," she narrowed her eyes on her. "I went to school with the intention of joining a federal agency to bring them what I knew. The CIA came to me first. Where the hell would you get that kind of idea? Because I don't care to be sent out on another lengthy mission away from home? Well, yes, I'm tired of that. I think we'd all like to stay grounded in one location for a while after being away from their family and friends for so long. It's not that much to ask."

"I'm just asking, I mean, some operatives who are recruited through a similar situation feel like they're being used and don't feel as if they're good enough for the CIA once they finish their assignment and get reassigned."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I signed on with my eyes wide open. I knew they wanted me specifically for them, and I had every intention of bringing them down for what I'd seen. Auggie was probably more upset for me than I ever was about it," she sighed, bored. "How much longer are you going to keep me here?"

"Until I'm satisfied," Beene replied with a nod. "Do you feel better now that your mission is over?"

"I'll feel better when I know I won't be reassigned for another long term mission like that," she answered with an attitude. "I may not have been behaving like myself before that last assignment, but considering that I was practically kidnapped, held hostage by my ex and his deranged father, and drugged, both of whom had an unhealthy obsession with me, I deserve my own time to decompress-"

"Wasn't the mission a set up for you to be taken into their custody to either buy more time or get the information needed to take them down? Wasn't that the plan?"

"No. It was to go with them voluntarily. I was not. That fucking little bitch injected me with something," she snapped at her. "I'd gladly thank her and her father for that because I had weeks of migraines from the withdrawals from the amount of benzodiazepines they had me loaded up on. You want to know how I feel? I'm angry, yes. But not at the Agency. At the fucking Cullens!"

She nodded. "That's understandable," she replied. "Do you think that your residual anger and frustration will impair your judgement on a future mission?"

Bella opened her mouth to reply but stopped to think about it for a moment and shook her head. "No. As long as there aren't any parallels to their case, I don't see a reason why there would be any reason for complication."

"And should there be similarities, small details that could remind you of them, then what?"

"They'd be stupid to give me the assignment. There are reasons why are agents profiled to handle cases."

"But many assignments are about manipulators, art, rich people you need to get close to. What do you think you could mean for the agency when you're afraid to run into something that reminds you of the Cullens?"

She waved it off. "I'd get the job done and come home. I'd deal with my issues with Joan giving me the job then and decide what I want to do at that point. You can't predict the future or future behaviors all the time."

"Of course not, I just merely want to see where your head's at," Beene smiled at her as she took a sip of her water. "Do you get nightmares or flashbacks about what happened in Forks? Negative thoughts?"

Bella stared at her again, losing the emotion on her face. "No. I just don't want to go back," she answered blandly.

"Do you have problems sleeping?"

To that, she couldn't help but to smile devilishly. "Auggie never complains, but I laid the rules down that we don't discuss intimate details."

"So you have an increased libido?"

She shrugged. "No more than some."

"Do you feel as if you still have a future? Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Bella blinked at that, confused. "Of course I have a future. Where I'll be, I don't know? I may or may not be with the company but that could depend on your stupid report or another report in two years. I have plans and I aim to see them through," she huffed, her fingers playing with her ring unconsciously.

"Okay, final question and then I'll release you to your desk before I make my report. I know you haven't had a permanent handler for a while and that technically, Auggie was your acting handler on your last mission. Do you think that your performance suffered as an agent because of your relationship with him?"

"No," she answered succinctly and without hesitation as she looked back at her. "Anything else?"

"No, that was my final question, you are released from prying by a complete stranger," Beene smiled at her. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

Bella didn't hesitate as she bolted from her seat for the door and was gone quickly. She practically flew through the building to get back to the DPD, to the safety of her desk where she sat in almost stone cold shock for nearly a half hour before she was ready to start speaking to anyone.

~o.O.o~

"Auggie Anderson?" a voice sounded, making him look up from his work and lowering his headphones.

"Depends, who's asking?"

"Hi, I'm Deborah Beene, and I think you and I should have a chat."

The sound of the doors to his office closing didn't sound like a good omen and he sighed. "Who are you?"

"I'm a psychologist and I'm here to talk to you about… well, you. And the Forks mission and your relationship with Agent Swan."

"Yeah, no," he said as he spun his chair back to face his keyboard again and pointed at the door. "Bye." There was no way in hell that he was going to talk to a therapist - even though she said psychologist. They were all the same and he didn't want his head shrunk. One wrong answer and he'd be out of the Agency. He always had the feeling he had to work twice as hard due to his vision problems and he didn't want to screw things up. For him or for Bella.

"It must be quite surreal to have your best friend back after not seeing her for years."

"I said no."

She approached him and leaned against his desk. "Well, I'm sorry, but this conversation is non-negotiable."

"Bullshit."

"Call Joan to verify if you need wish."

"You know what, I think I will," he said as he put the phone on speaker and pressed the hotkey to get Joan on the phone.

" _Auggie."_

"Joan! I have this pesky psychologist in my office. Make her leave."

" _I can't do that. You will talk to her, that's an order."_

Auggie let out a grunt and disconnected the call before turning back to the psychologist. "Fine. What do you want?"

Dr. Beene smiled to herself and looked out the office window for a moment. "You know, someone else, reacted almost exactly. Now would you like to answer my question about your friend?"

"You asked me if it was surreal to see her after all those years. Well, no, actually. See, I don't think you've noticed, but I'm actually unable to see, so it wasn't surreal. It was nice to hear her voice again though, without the distortion of a telephone line or an internet connection," he replied as he leaned back in his chair. "Nice perfume you've got on, not too much, not too little either, what is it? No wait, it's that old lady's perfume, Clair de Lune, isn't it?"

"Semantics, Mr. Anderson," she sighed. "Clair de Lune is an instrumental sonata. Miss Swan I believe is well aware of the tune from her time with the Cullens. It was one of Edward Cullen's favorite pieces, was it not?"

He took a deep breath. "I don't know, you tell me. I'm a jazz man myself."

"How was your recent trip to Forks? It couldn't have been easy being limited in the house with Miss Swan's father and not knowing where she was located for, what was it? Two days?"

"Three, and I knew exactly where she was as there wouldn't be anywhere else for them to have taken her," he said easily. "It's all in the report."

"With their money and resources, I doubt that. But I'll give you that leaway. How did you feel not knowing exactly where or how she was?"

"Bella's a good operative. I knew that she would be able to handle herself, until I heard what they were doing to her and then it was hard not to break protocol. In my mind, there was only one way to help her out without calling in the big guns, and fortunately, we got some unexpected help so I didn't have to break protocol."

Beene eyed him curiously. "How are you handling everything now that her assignment is over?"

"The last few months have been a lot of fun, spending weeks in the happiest place on Earth was great. The differences and similarities of each park were fun to catch."

"So basically, you two went from the shittiest place on Earth to the happiest place. You ran away."

"I don't think it's in her file, but it's definitely in mine that I tend to run away from things for awhile when I'm fed up with it," he deadpanned. "The last time I ran so far away that I lost my eyesight, now how spectacular is that? I'm glad I returned with every single limb intact!"

She tapped on his desk, drawing his attention to her more. "And what do you think Bella lost when she ran away in this? Or possibly gained?"

"I hope that taking her away instead of bringing her back to Langley, or making her stay after our debrief, that it gained her some feeling of freedom. That she could go wherever she wants to go without fear. But you should talk to her about this, not me."

"I have but I'm talking to you now. You know her best of everyone in the building," she answered. "Do you think she still has those fears? That the Cullens or Volturi would be coming for her?"

"Did you ask her?"

"That wasn't the basis of my interview for her."

"No, instead, you're asking me and I'm not going to answer those questions because it's not my place. She's her own person with her own mouth and brains," he said abruptly. "But I can tell you that the both of us will likely kill them should we come across them."

"Do you feel like you were acting to your best capacities in Forks as her handler?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Auggie sighed deeply. "Because I was distracted by many things. It's hard to run an op when there's so much personal mud around you that you can't see the bigger picture, that you can't let it go to do your job. It gets muddled. Did I make mistakes? Yes. Do I feel guilty for having her end up in the situation that she ended up in? Hell yes. I should have anticipated her being taken and I should have put more security in play. Can I be trusted with being someone's handler? I don't know, Annie seemed to be doing okay."

"Was her father being present as a potential victim the distraction or something else?"

"Would you be on top form if you had to shrink your family members while having stuff in your head to complicate things?"

"Perhaps if you explain what you were distracted by, I might understand the situation more," she said calmly.

"No, I'm not going to explain because it could either be a positive thing or it could end both our careers because I wasn't able to keep my head straight on. Are we done?"

The doctor smirked and shook her head at the irony. "You have a history with explosive outbursts, I heard that you came close a few times to bashing someone's skull in in Forks while Bella was taken."

"So?"

"Have you considered anger management?"

Auggie let out a short laugh. "I'm fine. I didn't hurt anyone and I have other ways to deal with my frustrations. That's in my file too, by the way. And also the ways that I am dealing with my frustrations. You know, other than working out in the gym. Again my question, are we done?"

"I've heard the rumors about you and Bella in this building for years. I just want to ask you something for my own curiosity, off record."

"Nothing's off the record in this building." He wanted her gone. Why wasn't she gone?

"True, but you can't blame everyone for what they've seen of the two of you. I'd just like to know, how long it took you before you finally decided to ask her?" she grinned playfully.

"It took me 30 seconds this morning to ask her for coffee after we woke up. I had to pee first."

"Touché. Nice taste for the ring. Congratulations," Dr. Beene said. "I'll let Joan know what my decision is by the end of the day so you should anticipate to hear from her before you leave for the day."

"Thanks for the heads up, it means I can go and find me a box to put my stuff in."

"If that's what you believe," she sighed. "I'd rather you wait to hear the results first. It was nice talking with you."

"You know the way out, please leave the door open, I want your perfume gone, it's offensive."

"I'll be sure to send you some Febreeze for Christmas."

"And you need new soles underneath your lovely Louboutins, there's a flappy bit right at the front of your nose. Please don't trip, it'll be a messy clean up on those hard tile floors."

The doctor shook her head at his attitude but it wasn't uncommon in her profession. Making her way out, she headed straight for Joan's office so that she could give her a verbal assessment before she returned to her own to put it into official writing.


	16. Chapter 16

It was late in the afternoon when Auggie made his way out of his office to go check on Bella at her desk as she'd been rather quiet through the day. Granted, he'd been completely submerged in emails and answering phone calls from operatives needing things, but he hadn't heard from her much. It was probably his own fault, he had worked through lunch.

His laser cane told him that there was someone sitting at Bella's desk and he leaned against it. "Do I need to call 911 or are you still breathing?"

Bella smiled as she turned to face him. She hadn't been able to do much of anything and just sat there for the last hour, listening and staring at her desk. "I'm still kicking. How are you holding up now that we're back?"

Auggie shrugged. "I put all my stuff in a box and stuffed it underneath my desk, in case I get fired."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm not sure what's going on after psych's report. They were fishing for something, but what I don't know. She had asked what my plan was in five years, if I had one. I said I had lots of plans."

"Yeah, like visiting all the Six Flags parks next," Auggie grinned.

"Well, I was thinking more like flowers at that moment," she hinted.

"The shrink noticed your ring. She asked me how long it took me to ask you. I replied that it took me 30 seconds this morning to ask you for coffee."

She couldn't help but to laugh at that. "Well, it's still ours for the most part at least. Won't be much longer. How much longer do you think we'll have to wait because I really just want to go home now."

"I don't know. I do know that I'm itching to have some steak and maybe a beer or three…"

"The Tavern sounds like a great idea. Maybe a bottle of Patron could be added to the list."

"Yeah, but that will be polished off, we both know it, and we'll be hungover on our second day back at the job. Great impression." He stuck up his thumb.

"Well we might not even be back tomorrow so they can go fuck themselves," Bella pointed out. "We're playing the waiting game right now."

"Not for long, I can hear Joan's footsteps," Auggie grinned. "Unemployment, here we come!"

"Auggie, Bella. My office," Joan said sharply, concern on her face as she looked at them before turning back, her hand gripping a folder tightly.

"Yep, we're definitely in trouble," Auggie sighed as he pushed himself off Bella's desk and waited for her to take him.

Bella frowned as she reached out for his hand. "She had a manila folder in her hand and it was pretty thick. If it was termination, I think it would just be the papers for us to sign and security with her."

"Oh great, she's going to tell us our biggest mistakes," he said cheerfully. "Haven't heard those in a while."

"At least we keep our jobs. Just pray we don't get transferred."

"Close the door," Joan said curtly when they had walked into her office and Auggie obliged. "There are several things we need to discuss and the main thing being that I'm very very angry with the both of you for not allowing Bella to be checked out by our doctors after Forks."

Bella started to object at that. "I was seen by a doctor. I didn't see the point of having to go through that again."

"If an operative gets drugged during an op, there is the initial medical exam, and then a follow up a week later, and another one a month later, just to be safe. We like our operatives healthy," Joan countered. "Sit down."

She looked over at Auggie and pulled him to a chair before sitting herself. "I am healthy. I'm fine, Joan. I haven't felt better. If this is about the shrink, then she can take her report and shove it."

"We'll get to that later. Speaking of the shrink, she understands that you've been through quite the ordeal and aren't ready to return to full duty. She wants to have you working half days and at your desk at that. Now, I know you. You will only cause trouble if I implement this so you can come to work and we'll see if we can find you something to do, even if it's just picking up Arthur's dry cleaning."

"What about my NOC?" Bella questioned.

"Your NOC hasn't been compromised, so if you'd like to work at the Smithsonian to make your NOC a more established one, then you can do that, it's your call," Joan smiled at her. "Dr. Beene also requested that you would go to therapy, but I find that optional, mainly due to the conversation I had with Auggie after you stormed out to get your blood drawn."

Bella narrowed her eyes questioningly between them, silently demanding an explanation from her. "Excuse me?"

"He mentioned that over the last two months, you've been talking and working things out together without the interference of a therapist, but by all means, if you think you should see one…"

"Pass. What else do you have for us that the good doctor will only piss us off more about?"

"At this time, she finds you too vulnerable for missions overseas, hence the half work days and stuff, but other than that, she thinks that you're right where you belong. You're a great agent, and I am more than willing to give you all the time you need to deal with this."

Bella didn't know what to say to that exactly. Only nodded uncomfortably. At least they didn't have to worry about her leaving any time soon, but that didn't mean Auggie wouldn't receive such an assignment.

"And Auggie… well, it's the usual, isn't it? She requested therapy. Something that's been told to you before and you didn't do it, not even after your accident."

"Because I don't believe in therapy, I'm fine."

"And still, you are going to be chained to that desk of yours until the end of time. You're not a field agent, Auggie."

"You keep saying that and you break your own word."

Joan sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I do… but I intend to keep my word for a couple of months at least. You're not going anywhere."

"You're not firing me?"

"Now why would I do that to the best tech we have?" Joan smiled warmly. "I think that if I'd let you go that we'll have a riot on our hands. You're free to leave for greener pastures, of course, but I wouldn't want that for you."

"Why a couple months?" Bella asked, catching her words.

"Because by then he usually gets cabin fever and I throw him a bone," Joan smiled at her. "You need a permanent handler. Do you have anyone specific in mind? Would you like Jai back as your handler?"

"Jai is fine. It doesn't matter as long as I trust the person," she shrugged. "I trust him, and Auggie."

"I figured you'd say that. Thing is, Jai is doing great with Annie. He goes with her on missions, sees what she's doing and coaches her there. I wouldn't want him to have to divide his attention between you and her."

Bella swallowed as she realized where this was going. "Okay, so you're making Auggie mine, but if neither of us are allowed to go anywhere and we're both grounded...Where does that put us, or rather me as an agent?"

"I'm not going to lie. Dr. Beene deems the both of you unfit for work due to various issues, but I managed to persuade her not to write that down officially. Because I know you both. You're a great team, you always have been, and even though it's against company policy, I want the two of you to continue to work together. You balance each other out," she said with some hesitation. "And you will need to continue to find and maintain that balance."

"Yeah, this really doesn't sound good. I know I'll still have my tech duties and all, and that she'll be at the Smithsonian, but what are you getting at, Joan? Did the bloodwork come back and something's wrong?"

Joan looked between them as she picked up the folder, opening it to take out the papers. "Nothing is wrong," she started. "Just some surprising results. I'll let you take a look first, Bella."

Taking the paper from her, Bella read the details skeptically before she got to where she realized what Joan was trying to say, but not say. Jumping from her seat, she shook her head in denial. "This is wrong. There has to be a screw up."

Joan handed her another paper. "They redid the test, and again," she said, pulling out yet another paper. "There wasn't a screw up."

"But I can't be…" she denied. "Not unless I went to the damn doctor to remove my -" she argued, blinking as she turned to stare at Auggie.

"You were at a doctor for days. Sedated," Joan pointed out.

"Wait, what's going on?" Auggie blinked. "What are you two talking about?"

Bella crumbled the papers in her hands and covered her mouth as she walked over to the window to digest the new information. "I was fucking violated, that's what," she muttered. "Not like what you feared, but still. Is that bastard dead?"

"Yeah, we found him with several stab wounds to the chest, one entry had nicked his aorta. He bled out in the room," Joan said calmly. "Look, I know this is a lot to digest, but…"

"What is going on?" Auggie demanded.

"Carlisle removed my IUD and I'm pregnant," Bella answered in a whisper, turning her head just enough for her voice to carry to him.

He blinked at that, not knowing what to say. "I know you said that you weren't violated like that but it better be mine."

"Well I didn't voluntarily sleep with any of them," she snapped. Covering her face, she let out a groan. "Fuck! Isn't there a test or something to make sure that it isn't one of _theirs_? If it is, I don't want this… Auggie..."

"You two have nothing to worry about," Joan said as she steered Auggie in the direction of Bella so he could hold her. "We pulled some strings, this is why we had you wait for a little bit longer so the test could be finished. These days there's a test where you can detect an unborn baby's DNA in the mother's blood."

"Spare the details," Bella sighed as she wrapped her arms around Auggie.

"You're about ten weeks along and you're both the parents of the little nugget growing inside of you. All Cullen did was to remove your IUD. The doctor who examined you probably gave you some antibiotics which would cancel out any lingering hormones created by the IUD."

"It's ours?" Auggie asked, but it was mostly a statement. "Wow."

"You two have a lot to discuss, and I'll gladly give you a few days to digest this and talk about it, if you like," Joan smiled at them.

Bella nodded absently as she started to lift her head. "Can we go now?" she asked as she looked around in a daze.

"Sure. I'll drive the two of you home, if you want. You're not driving."

"Tavern. Auggie's drinking for the both of us it seems," she muttered in response.

"Yeah, it's steak night," Auggie said with a shrug.

"Fine, I'll drop you off at the Tavern," Joan said with a slight chuckle, never ceasing to be amazed by how the two of them handled life changing news.

~o.O.o~

Sitting at their table, Bella ordered another round of shots and set them both in front of Auggie as soon as the waitress dropped them off at the table. She pouted as she stared at the shot glasses, having started to come around during dinner.

"We're engaged, and we're going to have a baby," she said for probably the twentieth time during the meal. "I can't have a freaking drop of alcohol. Do you know how much this part is sucking for me right now?"

"Kiss me and have a little taste. At this rate, you're going to have to roll me home," Auggie said, knocking over an empty glass. "God, I hope that one was empty."

"You're drinking for three from now on. Get used to it," she joked.

"Not unless you want my liver to survive your pregnancy."

"Then find me some alcohol that I _can_ drink."

"Alcohol free beer."

Bella gagged at his response. "That shit is vile. Have you ever tried that yourself? Gross!"

"I find it tastier than lukewarm beer if I had to choose."

"Lukewarm beer is still wet when you got nothing else and it's a hot fucking day. I'm pregnant Auggie!" she whined. "What am I going to tell my dad?!"

"Hey dad, your wish is coming true. Not only are you getting a son-in-law, you're also getting a grandchild! And no! They're not related in any way, he asked me before we found out!"

"Oh and he probably knocked me up in your bathtub," she smiled.

"Ohhhh, better not say that!" Auggie snorted as he downed another shot of vodka. "Yep, you're definitely have to roll me home. Call your dad. Now I want to know what he'll say."

"When we get home, I will. He'll probably start screaming and cheering considering the conspiracy he set in place from the beginning. Do you want to have a rush wedding now or wait until after?"

"We wouldn't marry in a rush, we do it with careful planning. It's up to you if you want to be pregnant while we marry or not. Hell, even if it's just us signing a paper would be fine."

Bella stabbed her steak and looked around in thought. "We also have to find someplace larger eventually. The loft won't contain three for very long."

"Especially if the baby is ready for his or her own room… damn, I love my loft."

"Learning to move around blind again is going to suck. My knees are going to be bruised to hell again," she complained.

"You want to raise our baby while blindfolded?"

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Why would our living arrangements change? I could pull it off if need be but I didn't get as far as I did out there if we I didn't have that experience. But think of it this way. In the long run, when he or she is older, they won't have it so easy sneaking around when both parents use all their senses to their max capabilities."

"True," Auggie said with a nod and took his other shotglass before attacking his steak again. "We'll have to read up on blind parenting, maybe take a few classes here and there. And learning to navigate in a new situation isn't that hard. If we keep the same sort of layout for our next home, it won't be that difficult."

"Ranch style?" she suggested. "One level, big yard, maybe? I know we are comfortable where we are now, but waiting until later - would be harder for me."

"Joan's got us riding desks for the foreseeable future, at least we'll have something to do," he said with a grin. "If we move now, we'll also have the advantage of knowing our surroundings better."

Bella reached over and stole a forkful of his potatoes and sighed. "So - we're going to start looking for a new place? Any particular wants you have?"

"One level, two bedrooms… that's it, really."

"Raise you to three for when my dad comes into town. He's going to want to stay with us."

"Yes, and we'll put a bunk bed in that room," Auggie agreed. "Show him how impossible it is to sleep on one as an adult."

"You're talking about the bunks in Bella's old bedroom?" Jai's voice sounded from behind him. "You're right. They should not be slept on by any adult."

"Hey! Look! It's golden boy!" Auggie greeted him jovially. "How are you doing?"

"Is he drunk?"

"Getting there," Auggie nodded.

"How have you guys been?" Auggie could hear a chair being moved and Jai sitting down. "Did you really have to send me plush toys from every Disney park?"

Bella smiled as she watched her fiance happily and nodded. "We weren't going around without sending something to everyone. Did you miss us?"

"Of course I did. Life is less fun without one of you to make my life harder," Jai smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry for disturbing your dinner."

"Don't worry, the steak still tastes great," Auggie said as he popped another piece in his mouth.

"Yeah. It's fine. It's actually probably a good idea you showed up. You willing to give us a ride home when you're done with your visit? Joan has dropped us off here so my car is still at the office," she sighed as she stirred the melting ice and lemon around in her glass of water.

"Why did Joan drop you off? Is that water? That's so unlike you."

Bella rolled her eyes, anticipating the inquisition about to come on so she looked up for the waitress and signalled for another round. She wasn't about to answer until she had the shot glasses sitting in front of the guys and set hers in front of Jai. Smiling, she simply waited.

"I only have one, now, right?" Auggie said as he felt around with his hand.

"Yes, dear," she answered. "Jai's picking up the slack for you for the rest of the night I just decided."

"Awesome. Because if Jai's back, then Annie's back and we'll just call her for a ride. Clever thinking," he said with a nod and raised his glass. "Bottoms up, Wilcox."

Jai eyed the two of them with a little fear. "Why do I have the feeling I need to be afraid?" he asked, pausing as he brought the shot to his lips. Smiling, he canted his head. "Unless this is a celebration? Congratulations in order? Not quite the rock I arranged for our engagement, Bella."

Auggie threw the shot back and almost slammed the glass back on the table. "We will not speak of that again unless your face wants to meet my fist."

Bella reached over and grabbed his hand to calm him down. "Jai. Don't ever talk about that case and things about it again. Yes, we're engaged but this isn't quite the celebration dinner like you're thinking. More like the mourning of an era."

"The mourning of being free and able to bed anyone you want? I'll say," he said with a snort.

"No. I was never like that and you know that. You're such a dickhead, Jai."

"You're extremely dickish, Jai. Relax, we only got back from our vacation, we need to rebuild the dick-tolerance barrier again," Auggie remarked as he rubbed Bella's hand with his thumb before retracting his hand and finished eating his plate.

He finished his shot and looked to Bella's glass of water again. "You without a beer or tequila isn't normal. You pregnant or something?"

She sat back in her seat, a scowl on her face as she wasn't pleased about her drinking options herself. "I am pretty limited, aren't I?"

"Again, congratulations?" He said carefully.

"Yeah," she hesitated, glancing up him. "We weren't sure until Joan confirmed everything, that the tests said it was Auggie's considering - recent events. But, we're grounded and we're going to accept it."

"Are you okay?" He asked as he took the other shot. "I mean, you look fine, but if I were you, I'd be freaking out but you're both so calm."

"I'm drunk." Auggie remarked. "But I'm fine."

"I'm giving him my shots since, obviously, I can't drink anymore now. I'm scared, for obvious reasons, but there's no point in losing it completely now. Believe me, I did enough of that at the office until I started getting this one plastered here."

"Wow," Jai said impressed. "I can't believe you two have to grow up now."

"Fuck off! We're going to buy land and make it Neverland!"

"Oh yeah, there's enough time to actually build a house from scratch!" Auggie agreed with a big smile on his face. "Recreate the loft on solid ground and extra bedrooms!"

Jai just shook his head at their antics. "You both are just crazy. I can't believe that you two are actually bringing a kid into the world together. May God save us all. But in all seriousness, congratulations you two."

"We're not crazy, we're simply going with the flow. Can't stop this boat…" Auggie shook his head and got to his feet, somewhat unsteadily. "I need to find the bathroom," he said as he unraveled his cane.

"Want me to help you?" Jai asked, coming to his feet with Bella as he was ready to catch him.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm drunk, not blind," he said as he scratched his head. "That's not right. Oh, never start drinking on an empty stomach kids."

Bella snorted. "Auggie. Maybe we should really call it a night now. Let Jai help you while I pay the bill. I don't need to have you with a concussion with everything since this is my doing already."

"Yes. Better idea," he said, finding Jai's arm and held on tightly. "To the car, Jeeves!"

Jai sighed as he nodded to Bella while she patted him on the back on her way to their waitress. It only took her a few minutes before she met the guys out front and slid into the backseat. "Thanks for this."

"No problem. Did Joan give you a few days to have this settle in? Because otherwise I'll call in for you guys tomorrow because he'll be useless."

"She did. Otherwise we would have gone straight home. Believe me with everything that happened and we learned today, it could have been much worse and I'm grateful for what it is now."

Jai nodded as he started the car and drove off. "If you two need anything, you know where to find me, right? I'm happy to help out anyway that I can."

"Sure, sure," she murmured as she leaned forward to find Auggie already nodding out. "Let's start with dragging this one upstairs when we get back. He's going to be dead weight and last thing I need is a strained back."

"I'm not sleeping," Auggie muttered as he put his head against the window. "I can walk myself upstairs."

"Sure you can, Auggie," Jai smiled as he turned a corner.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yeah well I only screwed myself by having you drink so much. I hope you have a miracle hangover cure for tomorrow."

"The best," Auggie smiled. "Fried eggs with bacon, ham and sausage and tomato juice. Oh man, that egg sounds so good… and I didn't drink that much, did I?"

"Maybe you need some MJ. You sound like you could use some the way you're rambling. Sounds like you got a case of munchies. And yes, I made you drink that much because I couldn't participate."

"Aren't you grateful, Jai?" Auggie said as he tapped him on his arm. "Aren't you grateful that I can hold my liquor very well?"

Jai looked over at him. "Uh, yeah buddy. Great job. I'm just concerned about what else she'll make you do in the future."

"Well, not sex. I'm too drunk for that. Obviously."

"Asshole," Bella muttered. "Besides, it's already too late for that. I'm knocked up. We have to call my dad to tell him the news when we get in, remember?"

"Oh fuck," Auggie said as he reached for his watch and felt the time. "And it's not late! It's only 9pm! Bella, what are we doing to ourselves?"

"Converting. Becoming what we feared."

"Adults," Jai smirked as he stopped the car in front of Auggie's building.

"Shut up asshole."

"I should buy you two some walkers now," he said teasingly.

"I should have poked holes in those condoms I bought you," she retorted.

"And they're still unused."

"Dude! You have to get laid!" Auggie said as he opened the car door, the night air hitting him in the face once again. "Ugh. Not good."

Bella got out with him and took one look at his face. "Hey, if you're going to puke, give me fair warning. So far I've been lucky not to have experienced any kind of morning sickness and I'm not in any rush to start puking myself now."

Jai got out of the car and locked it before putting his arm around Auggie and held him up. "Come on, Big guy, let's get you inside."

"I can walk," Auggie said as he let go of Jai and miraculously made it to the front door. "Thanks for taking us home, Jai."

"Thanks, Jai," Bella repeated as she made it to Auggie's side, careful to keep an eye on him in case he did turn around with a problem. "We should make it up if he's doing okay right now."

"No problem, have a good night you two."

"Night," she called out as she started to lead themselves inside. She didn't say anything else until they managed all the way into the loft and the door was closed securely behind them, letting out a sigh. "So…"

"You're not getting laid tonight. Don't even bother," Auggie waved his hand. "We had some fun this morning," he said as he walked to his coffee machine and started to make coffee. He needed to sober up some more if they were going to talk to Charlie.

Bella went to pulled herself up on a stool at the island to watch him. "I think it's this pregnancy that's driving that. I can't help it… Coffee…"

"I think I remember Mark mentioning something about his wife having to cut down on caffeine when she was pregnant," Auggie said as he switched on the coffee maker. "Maybe you should switch to hot chocolate. Your fancy machine has a setting for that too, right?"

"I like your dick attached to you. You like it attached to you?" she asked in response to his suggestions.

Auggie laughed. "I like it very much to be attached to me so I can make you scream for more when I put it inside of you."

"See I like that suggestion," she agreed. "But you already vetoed my getting any tonight."

"For tonight, yes. You're gorgeous but I doubt it'll be performing tonight, besides, we have to call your father. Always such a turn off."

"Speaking of which. Are you ready to get that over with?" Bella asked as she pulled out her cellphone and carefully set it on the countertop.

"At least wait until I have a coffee…" Auggie replied and then sighed. "No, now's good. If we call any later than 9.30 he'll freak out."

She let out a breath and nodded to herself. "I'm going to also need to make an appointment with a doctor too. I'll have to call around tomorrow," she murmured as she pulled up her father's caller profile and hit dial, putting it on speaker.

"So many things to do," he said as he grabbed a mug and set it down for when the coffee would be ready.

" _Welcome home, Bells,"_ Charlie's voice sounded from the phone.

"Hi Dad," she greeted, though there was just a hinted lack of enthusiasm in her voice, despite attempting her normal cheerfulness. "How are things?"

" _Great if Auggie didn't chicken out."_

"Hey!" Auggie whined. "I did not chicken out, okay?"

"He didn't chicken out, but I _was_ tempted to say no _again_ ," she teased as she down at her hand with the ring. "I should have figured you would have been an accomplice in this."

A loud cheer erupted from the phone, followed by laughing. " _Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both!"_

"Yeah, thanks," Bella sighed as she tried to figure out how to come out with the next bit of news. "There's something else…"

" _You've decided to give me grandchildren?"_

" _We_ didn't decide anything, Charlie. _Someone_ else decided that for us, when I was incapable of making any for myself," she snapped, still quite angry and the situation surrounding it a sore subject.

"We're only keeping it because it's been established that it's ours and not _theirs_ ," Auggie said as he poured himself a coffee after his coffee maker made the small noise that it was done. "The decision has been taken out of our hands, but it is welcome."

Charlie was quiet on the other end of the phone for a long time. " _So I'm not allowed to be happy about it?"_

"You can be happy all you want. We're, I'm, still having some issues in the acceptance department regarding the whole thing," she admitted. "Like Auggie just said, if it wasn't because they were able to confirm that it was definitely his, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I wouldn't want to go through with it. I couldn't."

"And she's getting there, so you don't have to worry about that. In fact she had me drinking her drinks for her at dinner," he added after he took a slow sip of his drink. "Believe me, I'll be feeling this one in the morning."

" _Would you like me to come down?"_

Bella smiled to herself. "It's not necessary. We're doing okay, adjusting. I have to find a doctor and then we're going to start looking either for a realtor or a contractor, or both."

" _You will let me know if you need any help, don't you sweetheart?"_

"Of course. I'll talk to you soon. Love you Dad," she said.

" _Love you too sweetheart, I'll make sure I have a travel bag ready for when you need me!"_

Auggie grinned as Charlie disconnected the call. "That went better than expected."

She let out a breath. "Yeah, it did. Do you want to get it all over with now and call your parents to let them know?"

"Can I actually call everyone and get this over with?" He asked as he took a sip of his coffee. "Because if I tell my parents, they'll tell my brothers and they'll be upset that I didn't tell them first."

"It's your family. You know them best," Bella said amused and slid off her stool. "Let's do this. Call them. I'm just going to get myself a bottle of water."

Sighing, he got his phone out of his pocket and double tapped it to wake it up. "Start conference call with family," he said as he put it down on the counter. "Turn on speaker."

" _Dialling group; family."_

"This ought to be interesting," she murmured. "It's been, what? Five, six years since I visited?"

"I think closer to seven," he grinned as he waited for each of their family to connect.

" _Augusto!"_ Rich yelled through the phone.

" _Ah geez, Rich, inside voice, we're all on here!"_ Mark scolded his brother.

" _Wait, even Sue?"_

"Sue?" Bella asked. "Did someone get married?"

"Kelly. A boy named Sue," Auggie grinned.

" _Oh shit, it's the crazy chick, isn't it?"_

" _Richard, mind your language."_

" _Oh fuck, mom!"_

" _Richard!"_

"Hello, Mrs. Anderson," Bella grinned, silently pleased that she had to do nothing to put the man in his place this time. "How are you?"

"Mom, you remember Bella, don't you?" Auggie smiled widely.

" _Of course I do, Auggie. Hello Bella, so nice to hear your voice again."_

" _Why are you calling all of us, Auggie? Something happen again? Did you break something? Does your house need fixing?"_

"Relax, Danny," Auggie snorted. "Everything's fine. Actually… it's more than okay."

"We just wanted to call to share some news and he felt it was best to include all of you at the same time," Bella said.

" _Oh, this oughta be good!"_ Kelly grinned. " _Hit us."_

"I asked Bella to marry me last week," Auggie announced. "And yes, I asked her father's permission first, so I did the right thing."

"More like my Dad asked him when he was going to ask me before he even that the thought in his head," she muttered. "Wasn't that how you told me about that conversation?"

"Yes, but they don't need to know that I'm easily persuaded to marry a hot girl," Auggie smirked.

"You can't tell that I'm hot. Maybe before you lost your eyes, but I could be all scarred up and ugly now," she teased.

"It's the inside that counts and you're hot on the inside."

" _Oh barf."_

" _Richard!"_ Auggie's mom scolded him. " _Oh, Auggie, that is fantastic news! I always knew you two would someday end up together!"_

" _Mom is always the hopeless romantic, are you sure you want to get married, Auggie? I mean, having a ball and chain isn't all that's cracked up to be."_ The sound of Mark getting smacked up the head could be heard. " _I love you dear."_

" _I can come out and help with the wedding planning…"_

"Oh, that's not necessary!" Bella objected quickly. "We aren't planning that for awhile. Um…"

"We found out today that Bella's pregnant."

" _Auggie, what the fuck!"_ most of his brothers responded.

"Hey!" Auggie objected. "Why can all of you have kids and you're responding with what the fuck?"

" _Because you're… well… kids need two sets of eyes?"_

"Oh shut up," Auggie rolled his eyes.

Rich added on, " _And the fact that you're reproducing with the crazy bitch? Marrying is one thing, duplicating..."_

"Mom, are you okay? Say something?"

" _I… I am…"_ There was some sobbing. " _My baby is having a baby!"_

"Oh shit," Bella winced as she settled back onto a stool next to him. "Um…Auggie, crying moms..."

"I know," he put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. "Mom, everything is going to be alright. You're already a grandmother. It'll work itself out."

" _What are you going to do now, Auggie? You're gonna be getting married and have a kid on the way. That place you're in is going to get small fast,"_ Danny said, coming back into the conversation.

"Well, as it happens, today is a big day of firsts and freaking out a little, but we've already decided to look for a new home to our liking or have one built. It all depends on if we can get what we want or not. Moving is definitely a priority, mainly because of making ourselves familiar with a new surrounding before the baby comes," he replied. "I was thinking of calling a realtor tomorrow to see what our best options are."

" _Dude, I'm a contractor."_

"Dude, you're a busy man!"

" _Asshat, I know the ways to bring the costs down and do the job right. Call the realtor for the lot and when you get the location, let me know. We'll get blueprints drawn up for what you're looking for. I'm actually going to be in the area in three weeks for a conference so we can talk then. I'll come down a couple days early."_

" _I know you don't like us to help you out, Auggie, but this is an offer you can't refuse."_ Kelly laughed. " _Take it."_

Auggie turned to Bella. "What do you think?"

"We would know we'd be getting the details of what we want. If we want to get something as close to here, this is the way to go. If he screws us over, we know where to hunt him down and cut off his balls," she threatened.

" _This is the crazy bitch that broke mine and Mark's balls, Dan."_

" _Awesome. I like her even more now."_

"Okay, sounds good then, Danny, thanks."

" _Alright. I'll call you when I know more about my trip details. Congrats you two, but I need to hit the hay. I have a meeting on site at the ass crack of dawn. Night!"_

"Night, Danny."

" _Auggie, your dad and I were meaning to visit you next month, shall we come over sooner?"_

"Oh god, mom, no." Auggie said quickly. "We're fine and our job keeps us busy so I'm not even sure if we can be around to entertain you guys."

"My schedule at the Smithsonian is definitely getting busier now that we're back from our vacation," Bella pointed out.

"Yeah, and even this morning, on our first day back, I had to completely reinstall one of the main security computers because some idiot fucked up, so yeah, we're really busy," Auggie added, nodding.

" _What they are trying to not say, is that they don't want any parental visitors, Mom,"_ Mark shared, giggling as he attempted to stir some trouble. " _Still celebrating that new engagement and all. Who knows what you might walk in on…"_

" _Very well,"_ she sighed reluctantly. " _Your dad and I shall spend our time in Hawaii, but we will visit, eventually. You're not going to be able to keep us away forever._ "

" _And she'll bring her little dog too!"_ Rich mimicked.

"Great, it's about time I step on that yapping rodent," Auggie remarked.

Bella pouted. "I always wanted a dog. Can we get a lab or something?"

"I thought you hated dogs. You're always bitching about them when we're at your dad's."

"No. I hated those mutts on the reservation. Especially Jacob and Paul," she muttered and pinched him hard on his thigh.

"Ow! Well, I like dogs and labs are actually dogs. Mom has a rodent. Like… this naked, tiny little thing with big ears and a yap that can pierce your eardrums."

" _Enough Auggie. You and your brothers got Princess for me for Christmas. You all had the choice to get something else, and I love him,"_ his mother chided.

"Princess?" Bella whispered, confused and disturbed. "I don't know about how naming goes in your family and if you inherit her skills, but I'm so naming this child."

"We made her believe that we got her a girl dog and she named it Princess. And by god, the stupid dog is being treated as one."

"The dog has a weiner."

"I couldn't tell."

"You were able to figure out your own to get me pregnant."

"Of course, it's attached to me," Auggie grinned before addressing his family. "Love you all, talk to you later, bye!"

Bella huffed. "I could fix that…"

He disconnected the phone and kissed her passionately. "Let's get to bed and see what this weiner can do…"

"I thought I wasn't getting any tonight," she reminded him as she pushed him back slightly with a smirk on her lips.

"I lied, sue me." He turned around and put his other arm around her. "Unless you don't want to, that's totally fine."

"Oh no. No, no. I wouldn't dream of turning away your weiner," she teased as she grabbed a handful of his shirt to start leading him to the bedroom.


	17. Chapter 17

Auggie realized two months later that he still had a planned vacation coming up, and he hoped that he could still go, and maybe Bella could come with him. She didn't have a doctor's appointment scheduled, and Danny was busy with building their new house in Fairfax County after getting a good deal on some land there that was surrounded with woods. That project was in his brother's safe hands and all he and Bella could do was twiddle their thumbs.

They weren't too happy about being so close to work, but they couldn't really tell Danny that, seeing as they were supposedly working for the Smithsonian. However, it was a good deal and the area seemed perfect for what he and Bella wanted. Something secluded, private, but with access to all major roads.

He loved how Bella was dealing with her pregnancy. Or not dealing with it. Every time she discovered something new about her pregnancy, she either dealt with it or not. She barely made it to Langley these days, as the smell of coffee set off her nausea and she had to go to the bathroom to throw up. He wasn't even allowed to make his coffee at home anymore, and if he wanted coffee, he had to go out and drink it at the coffee store. Alone.

The first time this happened, Annie, Joan and Jai were watching and that's when Annie found out about Bella's pregnancy. Bella refused to go back inside the DPD that day and he noticed her not breathing when she passed the Starbucks stand. A part of him was happy that she was spending more time at the Smithsonian now so she could make other people's lives hell instead of his. A ban on coffee, how preposterous!

Joan made her way through the desks in her division, eventually finding her way up to his office to drop off a couple reports for him. "Auggie," she greeted as she set the folder on his desk.

"Joan!" He greeted her with a smile. "I was planning to come see you today."

"You were? Any reason I should be concerned?" she asked.

"No, just an inquiry, really," he said as he spun in his chair to face her, or at least where her voice came from. "Harmless."

She hummed suspiciously as she studied him. "How is Bella doing?"

"Still making people's lives hell with her aversion to coffee," Auggie grinned. "She was cursing me this morning for having to buy yet another bra."

"An unfortunate necessity when it comes to being pregnant," she replied, amused.

"Unfortunate?" He smiled widely. "I love the bigger boobs!"

"I'm sure you do, but I can't imagine that she's that comfortable with the changes she's going through for the baby. I know her father is quite - happy," she said.

"Did you know that morning sickness doesn't happen in the morning?"

Joan smirked. "It's only a phrase Auggie."

"Yeah, we discovered that when she got it the first time during us having some fun in bed, ending the activities before you know," he grinned. "I felt so bad for her."

"Yeah, I get the idea. If it helps, I can take her out for a spa day. It may help with some of the symptoms, and her mood swings."

"Well, this is why I wanted to see you, really," Auggie said, a little hesitant. "I know that Bella and I have been gone for two months after her mission and I'm grateful that you gave me the time off as well, but can I still take my vacation to Istanbul? I put it in last year, so…"

She hesitated as she thought about it. "And you're wondering if Bella can go with you? There isn't much going on that we need the both of you so I don't see why not but before you plan for her, I suggest that you make sure she's okay to travel that far first."

"I have, but I just wasn't sure if you were still letting me go. And if you'd allow Bella to come with me."

"Don't expect anymore time off for a _long_ time after this. Except for Bella, once the baby comes."

"I know, I know, and we'll only be gone for a week. I can still do some work if you need me to, I just really wanted to go to the festival," he said with a smile. "And in all honesty, you don't have to say yes, but it's what I've been looking forward for quite some time now."

Joan reassured him it was alright. "No, go. It's probably going to be the last chance you get to attend for several years. Possibly for the next eighteen. Just be careful."

He blinked at her. "I hadn't thought about that. Damn. This could be our last vacation ever!"

"Kids are expensive, and you're having a new house built. Don't forget the possibility if you have another down the road. Lots of things to bear in mind. Tell Bella to call me when she's feeling a little better."

"I will, thanks, Joan. She'll be happy to know that we both will be going to Istanbul and thank you for raining on my parade." He sighed.

"Just a healthy dose of reality. Have fun though!"

Sighing, he looked for the folders that Joan had dropped off and heard her leave. He then dialled Bella's number to give her the good, or maybe not so good news while he continued to work.

" _August! I have this bump now and my pants don't want to fit anymore! I'm confiscating your sweats!"_ Bella answered the phone out of breath and irritated.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the Smithsonian?"

" _I sneezed!"_

Auggie laughed at that.

" _August...if you know what is good for you…So help me God..."_

"You still up for that trip to Istanbul?"

Bella was silent on the phone, but her breathing was still heavy as she tried not to snap again. " _Can we afford it?"_

He thought for a moment and nodded. "One last huzzah before we can't go anywhere anymore."

" _Except Disney. We must do Disney. I don't give a shit. We can take out a loan for vacation to do Disney."_

"We will definitely keep doing Disney. Every year. Don't care if our child is still a baby. The sooner we instill Disney in its mind, the better."

" _Istanbul is on? Joan really okay'd it? I guess I should call the doctor to see if I can get in asap then…"_

"Yep, Istanbul is on and Joan asked me to ask you to call her if you're feeling better," he smiled as he put the folders away. He could cancel his ticket and buy two tickets, which would be cheaper. The apartment was still good enough. "Just a nice week, enjoying the music, the sun and some good drinks and food… non-alcoholic."

" _Let's hope I can eat the food. Not like the Chinese we ordered last week."_

"There was nothing wrong with the Chinese we ate last week."

She huffed in denial. " _I could smell it. It was bad food. Just because you have an iron gut, doesn't mean I want to be poisoned."_

"Fine. And buy yourself some maternity pants, they grow with you, they have these elastic bands."

There was the sound of her breath hitching. " _You did not just say that. I'm going to pretend you did not just say that. I will deal with you when you get home."_

"I just want you to be comfortable, gorgeous," he smirked. "You're beautiful, and I want you to be comfortable. There are fashionable maternity clothes out there."

" _Maternity clothes are fucking UGLY! And not comfortable. I'll just wear yours."_

"Okay, love you. Don't forget to call Joan."

" _Yeah, yeah. You might want to take a taxi home so that you can go buy more sweatpants,"_ Bella rushed out before sneezing again. " _Fucker!"_

"I will buy more sweatpants, I promise. I'll talk to you later."

She mumbled out a goodbye before hanging up, frustrated and distracted by having to change yet again.

Auggie let out a breath and hoped that she'd wind down some once they were away. He found her hilarious, but she didn't like it when he laughed at her. Or complained about coffee. She even locked him in the bathroom because his breath smelled like coffee. And Mark had assured him that his wife had been in denial when she was pregnant with their first kid, but that eventually she'd come around. With more than half of the pregnancy to go, Auggie wished that she'd come round soon.

~o.O.o~

"How are you feeling?" Auggie asked Bella as they got off the plane. "Do you want to go to the apartment and get some rest or are you feeling good enough to just dump our belongings and walk around some?"

Bella wrapped her hand around his arm as they had stopped off to the side and looked around. Drawing in a careful breath to test her resolve, she nodded to herself. "I think I'll be okay. As long as we just take it easy and stay close."

"Of course," he smiled at her. "There's a great plaza near the apartment with some tiny restaurants. We could just go there and sit. Watch people."

"Great. Let's go get our luggage," she replied. "Get out of here before I stab a stewardess in the eye with your stick."

"Easy," he laughed as he continued to stroll towards the baggage pick up. "Positive, happy thoughts. We're on vacation."

"I'll be positively happy when the bitch acknowledges that you're being accompanied with someone who is clearly your fiance. On top of that, we stressed as soon as we got on that I needed the aisle seat in case I needed to make the run for the bathroom because I _am_ pregnant so she if she is on our return flight, she can be expected to meet my fist if she tries coming onto you again."

"They're just doing their job, Bella," he gently bumped into her before continuing their way.

"Says the player that I had cancel dates before I moved in," she muttered.

He smiled. "But I'm engaged to you. You're pregnant with our baby and you're beautiful, so why worry? I'm not going to stray. I'd never do that."

Bella grunted as she knew he was right. He wouldn't do that to her, especially after all they'd been through and realized about their relationship over the years. There were still moments that crept up on her that set her off more than others, more often recently.

"I am yours, completely yours," he said again as they turned a corner to go to the luggage area. "I am not going to leave you because there's no one better than you. The grass isn't greener and never will be."

She hummed an acknowledgment that she heard him. Narrowing her eyes as she stared ahead, her fingered tightened on his arm. "So you're not denying the thought has crossed your mind?"

"Yes, I am denying it because once you used your cute, tiny, little feet to tiptoe back into my life and confiscate my apartment, I haven't had a stray thought since."

"Maybe staying at the room would be a better idea?" she voiced her thoughts out loud, her hand slipping from his arm to his back and down to his ass.

"And miss Jan Babou? Hell no."

Letting out a sigh, Bella rolled her eyes as she kept her hands to herself after that. "You're sleeping on the couch and I need an alka-seltzer. I ought to go visit the construction site when we get back to check on your brother. We haven't heard from him."

"The last thing I heard was that my parents made a sizable donation towards the mortgage that will be on that house, and I told them to take it back. Of course, they refused," Auggie sighed as he waited for the bags to come out. "I mean, we wouldn't have agreed to the location if we didn't have the money to actually live there."

"Which makes me wonder if someone didn't try throwing their own input in. The only question is who? We made him promise not to tell anyone the location until we were ready to share with people," she frowned. When she spotted their bags passing them, she reached out to pull them off the turnstile with a grunt. "Alright. Let's go."

"I could easily find out by hacking into his bank account," Auggie said as he took the backpackers backpack carrying their clothes and the trolley carrying his equipment in his free hand. "Just say the word."

Bella's lip curled at the thought, sorely tempted. "I think showing up and catching him surprised would be more fun. That way I can bitch him out when I see what he's done that we didn't ask for."

"Don't worry, Danny's a man of his word, what we set out for the house, he'll make sure it gets there."

"Still, it doesn't hurt to check."

"Fine," he laughed. "Do whatever your heart desires."

They took a taxi to the apartment, dropped their stuff and Bella had found the comfortable bed and had already nodded off. He didn't have the heart to wake her, so he decided to set up his computer and other gadgets that would make it easier the next day to start digitising the future recordings.

He then called a delivery service to deliver them some food in a bit, nothing too spicy for Bella, and crawled onto the bed with her to just relax.

~o.O.o~

Auggie was glad that Bella seemed to be feeling better the next day, and took her out for breakfast on the plaza with a nice cup of Turkish tea accompanying them. The sun was warming his entire body, he could feel the intensity and combined with that, and the scent coming out of every restaurant that was already open, he found himself in heaven.

There was a father playing with his child a few feet ahead of them, the simple joy in both their voices echoed throughout the area, only to be drowned out by a passing marching band.

"This is nice," he smiled widely.

Bella finished off the bread she ordered and hummed her agreement. Swallowing, she looked up at him. "It is. With all the traveling I've had to do, I've never actually been to Turkey. It's different. I like it."

"Friendly people, good food, excellent tea… and this weekend, great music."

"Food is still in the air, but I can say the tea is helping with the residual nausea from everything. If we can bring some back, I'd like to," she said a bit more excited.

"There's this tiny Asian market in Georgetown that sells this tea."

"First stop on the way home from the airport," Bella stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Sure," he smiled and took a sip of his tea. "So, the plan is to go to Kasim after breakfast. He's my buddy and working at the stage where I want some microphones placed. With a little luck, he'll allow me to plug my recorder into the sound board, too. Four parabolic microphones to really capture it all."

She stared at him with a frozen smile on her face as she nodded, humming along as he spoke. "Wow…"

"Sorry," he grinned. "Not a lot of places allow me to do this kind of things and I'm geeking out about it."

"No, it's okay. It's your Disneyland. I get it," she said and stood to lean across the table to kiss him. "I'm along for the ride."

"When you can't see anymore, you find the beauty and wonder in other things, like music. I like listening to the various instruments playing a song and mixing them correctly so that the music becomes a musical orgasm, of sorts," he smiled at her. "I'll show you tonight."

Bella grinned at that and leaned on the table as her eyes hooded over at him suggestively, even if he couldn't see her. "You are very skilled at creating orgasms."

"Oh, I know," he smirked widely. "Just keep your panties on for now, you'll get yours tonight too."

"Is that a promise?" she murmured as she looked around, picking up her tea as she was cautious of eavesdroppers on their very intimate conversation. "Because I should warn you that after last time, I've been getting a bit more sensitive…"

"Oh, that's definitely a promise, let's see if we can break your record of orgasms in one session," he said playfully, sipping his tea. "I think we can do that."

Feeling a bit flustered, Bella suddenly was anxious to get the day started. "Um…" she started, clearing her throat. "So, what time does this thing start again?"

"Feeling a little anxious, aren't we?" He grinned. "Here's a promise; I'll wind you up all day, maybe even sneak in a sneaky little touch here and there underneath a table…"

Blinking, her tongue ran over her lip as she stared at him. Breathing a little heavier, she let out a sigh. "Isn't the concert outdoors?"

"Oh yeah," he grinned and finished his tea. "Wide out in the open, and we'll be slap bang in the middle of watching the concert, right in full view of the band." He got to his feet and put some money on the table before getting his trolley. "So, are you ready to meet Kasim?"

She was in a daze as she looked up at him. "Huh? What? Kasim?"

"My buddy who's going to set up the mics for me," he held out his hand for her to take. "Come on, gorgeous, let me show you some more of Istanbul."

Shaking her head clear, she put her hand in his and shouldered her bag. "This is going to be one wild week, I think. If I didn't think Algiers was going to be adventurous enough…"

"Algiers was nothing, just camping," he mused as he started to walk towards the far end of the plaza. "Oh, you mean, your first interaction with a blind person, yeah, that was funny."

"There was always my own attempt at functioning in your world at home. You had to have thought I was crazy for insisting on it."

"Yes, but you also surprised me. I mean, no one ever asked me if it was okay if they could try and be in my world with me. Ever. Made me love you even more," he smiled. "And it was totally unnecessary."

Pressing herself alongside him as they walked, she kissed his neck. "I felt it was. We aren't exactly on equal footing out here in most cases, but at home we can be as much as possible. I still want that even when the baby comes. We can sew bells or something onto its' clothes or tie them around its ankles when he or she starts crawling."

"And again, you really don't have to do that, but -"

"We're getting married, Auggie. Marriage is supposed to be a partnership. I don't want to be any more capable than you are. It's one of the reasons my parents failed and my mother took off and I never heard from her again."

"If you take off, I'll have my ways to find you and bring you back to me, so don't even think about leaving," he squeezed her hand and smiled. "How did I get so lucky, though? With you?"

"I think that we've just been fucking around, waiting on each other to come to each other's senses," she mused. "At least that's what people keep saying. Or that we've been secretly in a relationship all this time and only now announced it only because you knocked me up."

"Well, I think that's the truth, though. I mean… even with Helen… I was always searching for something. I was just too blind to see that what I was looking for was in you." He then snorted. "My last relationship was frowned upon by the CIA, that was awesome."

"I don't think they like anyone that isn't one of theirs," she admitted. "I mean, look at Joan and Arthur."

"Whatever we do, or are going to do, I do not want to end up like them."

Bella frowned as she thought about how he pictured the couple she considered like parents in many ways. "They aren't that bad," she said quietly.

"No, they're great, especially Joan, but they're not only married to each other, but also to the job. They have this threesome going on - the job always comes first, and that's not who I want to become. You should come first. Not the job. I can live without the job. Not without you."

She walked alongside him for a bit, but watched him instead for several paces as she considered what he said. She couldn't help but agree with him and sighed. "What do we do about _them_ because they won't let us go all that easily. Mom and Dad would accept it but the job would insist on using whatever resources they know of, wherever possible. We wouldn't be able to get away McAuley for example."

"Well, he was right to leave, but yeah, if a certain set of skills or knowledge can only be obtained from someone who used to be with the agency…" Auggie sighed. "Oh crap, we will never get away from them."

"I'm afraid not. Not at least from Joan and Arthur because as long as you're with me, they are family," she grinned.

Auggie shrugged. "We'll just go in deeper. Once I'm confident that Barber's not going to screw things up anymore."

"Barber is more paranoid about screwing things up than you are of him screwing your stuff up," she grinned. "Give the guy a break. He doesn't even go into your office when you're away."

"Yeah, he does. When we returned after those two months away I found cookie crumbs in my keyboard and I hope it was a blob of jelly on the mouse, other thoughts are just simply disgusting."

"Did you have someone go through security footage?"

"Of course. It was Barber."

She was surprised at that. "Wow… I really didn't expect that," she said, turning forward and looking around. They were approaching an open square and she was still reeling a bit over their colleague. "I think I may ask Jai or Walker to stick something rank in his desk or something when he's away."

"Nah, don't worry about it, I put some dirty socks from the gym in his drawer before we left," Auggie smiled and stopped walking. "Now, where's the big stage?"

Bella steered him to face the direction. "Just this way, straight ahead."

They continued towards the stage and it didn't take long for Kasim to call out for him. "Auggie!"

"Hey!" Auggie smiled widely as he lead Bella into the direction of the voice. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, fine, I didn't think you were coming this year."

Auggie briefly let go of Bella to hug his friend. "Of course, I wouldn't miss it. This is my fiancé, Bella. Bella, this is Kasim."

She smiled tensely as she looked around and reached out to shake the man's hand. "Pleasure to meet you. He hasn't shut up about this trip all week," she shared as she tugged on her shirt uncomfortably.

"Welcome to beautiful Istanbul," Kasim greeted her with a smile before turning to Auggie. "You have three mics?"

"Four, please? And can you plug in my recorder into the sound board? I am trying something new here."

"Of course, allow me," Kasim said, taking the trolley from him. "Sit, sit, trust me, I will make sure the mics will be properly positioned."

"Thanks, Kasim," he smiled at him before leading Bella to a nice little brasserie. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, you're looking around like a scared animal and you want to oversee the entire thing, right?"

"What? No-no…" she stammered, shaking her head. "It's just, I don't know. He's fine. I just had a weird feeling is all. I don't know. Maybe just the unfamiliarity of everything and this being something new for me?" she suggested.

"Bella, I swear, if you're looking for a job to do here, please don't. Let's enjoy this week," he found an empty chair for her to sit on. "Relax."

She let out a breath and sat with a frown. "I wasn't looking for a job," she objected. "I don't know. I never felt that feeling before. It was a weird...flutter? Nerves maybe. You know it's hard to just _relax_."

He pulled another chair close to hers and sat down as he folded his cane. " _Flutter_? You mean in your stomach?"

Bella scowled at him and sighed. "Yeah?"

"Maybe it's the baby," he smiled widely. "According to the book I've been listening to at work, around this time you should start to be feeling something."

She hadn't begun to read any of the ones she bought yet, having been keeping busy with her NOC, doctors appointments, and visits to the bank for their mortgage on the new house. "You think that's what this is?" she asked as her hand came to rest on her stomach. Even as she'd been slowly accepting the pregnancy, she couldn't help but to find herself starting to smile.

"Or gas," he said with a shrug. "But probably baby."

The smile fell. "You're a dick. I think you've been hanging out with Jai too much lately."

"Or maybe he's been hanging out with me too much, but really, it could very well be the baby," he gently placed his hand on her growing stomach and caressed it. "Our little nugget."

"We need to find him a girlfriend. You think Walker would be into him?"

"She has a type," he muttered. "You can't tell me that she hasn't slept with Eyal. Then there's Mercer…"

Bella grunted. "She hasn't slept with Eyal. And her type, I'm aware. It's not just the bad boys. It's ones with a purpose. You stay away from her."

"I am a bad boy, what are you doing with me, huh?" He said playfully.

"You're mine."

"Yes, and everyone knows that. Including Annie. She adored the Valentine's Card you sent her. What was on it? 'Your Valentine is not my Auggie.' That was funny."

Bella smirked and leaned into him until her lips were a breath away from his. "Yes well, everyone knows that a way to a man's heart is through their stomach and she comes into a building that is predominantly men frequently with food. It pisses me off. She doesn't bring me anything to the loft."

"But I never take the food because I'm usually behind my desk," he replied and softly kissed her lips. "I buy my own food. I'll have something delivered to you next week."

"Next time she brings something of her sister's in, you bring it to _me_. Your nugget wants food."

"Or I could just call Danielle to ask her if she wants to make something especially for you."

She scoffed. "Now that would just be plain rude to disturb her like that. We'll just bother Annie and make her go out of her way to make a special delivery before work."

Auggie ordered two orange Sherbets and some Pide when a waitress came to take their order and thought for a moment. "We could ask Danielle to bake stuff for our wedding or the baby shower."

"We'll see later," she smiled and kissed him. "Let's focus on our house for now. I think that will keep us busy until the baby comes."

"Very busy," he grinned and answered her kiss, his hand teasingly travelling underneath her stomach, his fingers applying a little bit of pressure before removing his hand again.

She let out a small moan, frowning at the loss of his touch. "You are such a tease," she whispered to him as she crossed her legs. "I will so get you back for this. Somehow, some way."

They spent some time walking around the square while the music played and when the band he came for was done, he showed her some more of the city before returning to grab his things and they headed back to the apartment. Bella grew tired more easily, so while she was taking a quick shower to refresh herself and head to bed for a nap, he decided to play with his new toys.

He couldn't believe how crisp the quality of the audio was with an extra microphone and his recorder and relived the music that he had heard that afternoon through his headphones, the nuances more clear now and it was goosebump inducing, so beautiful. "Bella, are you back?"

"Coming out now," she answered as she left the bathroom, wrapping a towel around her.

"Here, listen to this," he smiled as he transferred the music from his earphones to the speakers. "Those musicians are speaking to each other, like I told you, but maybe you can hear it better now. They're talking about the struggle to stay hopeful after a loss. That there's always a better way possible."

She smiled at that. Bella walked towards him and put her arms around his neck, softly nuzzling his skin. "It is beautiful, but unlike you, I only hear the melody and the vocals."

Auggie let out a snort. "Let me finish this mix and then we'll see if we can break that record of yours," he said playfully. "Deal?"

Leaving a kiss to his jaw, she grinned. Pulling away, she headed for the kitchenette to heat some water. "Deal. I'm going to make myself some tea. You want?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, slightly distracted as he popped his headphones back on and frowned. "That's strange," he said, rewinding his tape to make sure he heard it correctly. "This shouldn't be on there… one of the mics must have picked this up…" He rewound it again, and again.

Bella finished their teas and made her way back over, her eyebrow raised in concern as she set his mug down and brushed her hand over his to get his attention. Taking in his expression, she pulled a chair closer and sat down, waiting for him to figure out what is bothering him. Dropping her hand to his knee, she gave it a squeeze to let him know she was there, waiting before sitting back to drink her tea, just watching silently, worried.

"There's a voice on this recording," he explained, rewinding it again, he was unable to make a clear identification, because it should be impossible, but it was the same voice.

"You recognize it?"

"It's the voice of the man who blinded me."


	18. Chapter 18

He started to tell Bella about his time in Iraq and their mission to take out the Jack of Diamonds and how it all went to hell. How one of them double crossed them and what happened to his team. It hurt talking about it. He was usually so blasé about it because he didn't want to talk about it, but he felt the need to explain himself. "And I think that the voice on the recording is Afran Felat Khani."

"So that is the Jack?" Bella asked, her hand running over his leg trying to soothe him. "Or one of his players that you happened to be in contact with?"

"No, he wasn't the Jack. He was our translator, Nasir, who double crossed us, and I believed him to be dead," he said, his hand gripping the chair in discomfort. "It can't be him, but that voice…"

She nodded, realizing his fear. "Why don't we call someone back home to check the records? See what they say?"

Auggie thought for a moment. "Can't ask Annie, she won't have the clearance and I don't really trust Jai with this and oh, if Joan or Arthur find out that I think a ghost has come back to life, I'll be toast." He then sighed. "Annie's my best bet."

"She'll be able to at least see if a name is listed as alive or dead at her clearance level depending on if he's being used as an asset by someone."

"I'll call Annie on my way back to Kasim, he might have a better recording for me, will you be okay for an hour without me?"

Bella drew in a breath and agreed. She didn't like the idea of him heading out by himself now, but she wasn't about to stop him either. "Yeah, but you be careful. Especially if he recognizes you. Okay?"

"I could always do it tomorrow if you don't feel comfortable, but I promise, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You come back with a single scratch and I will murder you myself. You got that Auggie Anderson?" she demanded as she got up and leaned over the back of his chair to wrap her arms from behind him.

"I promise I'll come back in one piece," he gently pat her arm and turned around to kiss her. "I'll bring you some more Pide when I get back."

"And when we get home, we figure out a way to get out of this shit storm somehow. I didn't find us work this time," she scolded playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, it's completely my fault. My apologies. And besides, it's probably nothing and merely my paranoid mind."

Bella wasn't so sure because it wasn't easy to let go of things that traumatic. "We will run this down until we know it isn't. If I thought I heard one of the Volturi or Cullens, you wouldn't think me crazy, would you?"

"No," he smiled at her. "Because people break out of prison all the time. They don't rise from the dead."

"We work for the CIA. Let's not say that," she said. "Call Annie and go see your friend. Then come back and we'll deal with this all and hopefully have a nice vacation. Or we try to hunt down a terrorist. Either way - we have fun. But if it becomes the latter, then we can make work pay for this vacation."

"True," he kissed her again and collected his things. "Try to get some rest. I'll be back soon," he said as he walked to the door.

"Bring me back some ice cream or something."

"Got it," he said before opening the door and ducked out.

"And soda. I'd really like some Coke if they have it!" she called out before changing into one of his shirts and crawling into bed.

"Got it!" he called back. As he headed into the direction of the festival, now knowing his way a little bit, he called Annie. Telling her what he needed - a tiny favor - and that Joan wasn't supposed to know. Annie would call him back and leave a voicemail so he could call her back once she had something.

Kasim was helpful too, he figured Auggie was a little bit eccentric for wanting the audio from the mic that had been moved due to the wind, but burned the tracks anyway, because he was his friend. He picked up some Pide, ice cream and coke on the way back to the apartment and put it down on the bed. "I'm back."

Bella mumbled as she heard him and lifted her head. Looking around, she rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Hey. How'd it go?" she asked. "Do I need to do a bodily inspection?"

"I only tripped twice. I got escorted home by a wonderful young man who tried to pocket my wallet but I managed to stop him and gave him some money for his efforts. I've got your coke, ice cream and more pide and the additional tracks."

"Awesome," she replied, breathless as she made her way to the bags and dove right for the dessert. "Can I help with anything?" she mumbled around a mouthful of cold creaminess.

"I don't know yet, I'm going to listen to the recordings. I have to call Annie back… I'm sorry, I could be busy all night," Auggie sighed.

"I figured as much. That's why I demanded the ice cream and soda," she said as she kissed him, passing on her way to the table. "I wish I could help, I don't know what I'd be able to do do."

"Well, my Arabic is rusty, so I think I might listen for the surrounding sounds to see what we can identify and go on a scavenger hunt tomorrow for the location."

Bella looked excited at that. "Ooh! That sounds like fun! My Arabic is non-existent, but if you give me clips that we can search for together, two pairs of ears could work better, right?" she asked.

He held up an extra pair of earphones. "You can listen with me, how's that? Hone your blind skills, listen past the obvious."

She took them and leaned in to kiss him, quickly wiping his lip from her own ice cream covered lips. "Let me get one of your ties to cover my eyes. Give me a minute and I'll be right with you."

"Or just close your eyes," he grinned. "I don't have any ties with me."

"Eh, I brought a couple for some fun," she hinted as she went to go digging in her bag, coming up with his tie. "Maybe if we get the chance before we leave, we'll get to play. The bed has slats at the headboard."

"Oh man," Auggie sighed happily. "I love you."

"I know," she retorted lightly, falling back in her chair and tying the fabric around her head. Reaching out for the headphones, she pulled them on, over her ears. "Let's get to work, Hot Stuff."

Auggie grinned as he placed the ice cream in her lap, spoon sticking out of the container. He was surprised by her yelp. "What? Aren't you wearing pants?"

"No you ass!" she screeched. "Fuck!" she hissed, holding the cup and rubbing her thigh. "I put one of your shirts on when you left and crawled into bed. Give me your hand..." she said holding hers out over the arm chair, smirking to herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said apologetic and put his hand in hers. "I'm so terribly sorry."

"I know you are, Baby," she said, bring his hand down to her leg, sliding it up her thigh. "And guess what else I'm not wearing? But enough about that, we have work to do now."

His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed no panties. "Ohhhh…. yes. Work. Let me call Annie first," he said as he tapped to awaken his phone. "Call Annie. Turn on speaker." When she picked up, he spoke again. "Hey, just calling you back, you're on speaker."

" _Great! Look, we really need to start teaching you some phone conversation manners."_

Auggie sighed and rubbed his finger against Bella's clit as his hand was still down there with a big smile on his face. "Hi, Annie, it's Bella and Auggie. Tell me what you've got."

" _Better. Listen to this. Khani's been removed from the database. But I followed the file tree, and he has a sister in Baltimore."_

"File tree? You speak nerd now?" Auggie laughed. "I'm impressed!"

Bella's breath hitched, her nails pressing into his arm, but not over the conversation itself. "Manners. Let her talk," she pressed out.

" _I don't know how much more of this I can do while keeping it from Joan."_

"It's your day off, isn't it? So I'm guessing you don't have a current assignment."

Annie sighed. " _I'm going to Baltimore, aren't I?"_

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important."

"Let's say it's cutting into our vacation and it's putting a real dampener on things until details are confirmed," Bella said.

" _Of course. But when you get back, you're going to tell me who this guy is, right? This doesn't seem like some little thing you forgot to do."_

"Drive safe, Walker, have fun!" Auggie smiled before disconnecting the call and removing his hand from Bella's core. "Let's get to work."

She fell back against the back of her chair, unsatisfied and unfulfilled. "You're such an evil bastard," she complained, turning her head towards him. "Just play the audio and tell me the voice that I'm listening for so that I know what to recognize later."

Auggie listened to the recording and sighed. "The loudest voice," he said before meddling with the settings, slightly filtering away the voice. "This mic was on the north west side of the building, are those bells? Do you remember a store with bells outside?"

Bella focused on the person before he started adjusting with the levels. She didn't say anything as she shifted her focus on the bells he mentioned, thinking back to the afternoon. "Vaguely, but I wasn't really paying attention at the time. We can go and look around more. It could have been on the other side of the square from where we sat."

"Yeah, I think they're little shops there," he replied, rewinding it again and listening. "Well, it seems like we're going bell hunting tomorrow."

"Souvenir shopping sounds great. Maybe some trinkets for nugget," she added lightly as a cover depending on the shop, pulling the headphones off.

"Yes," he agreed, putting his headphones on the table and turned to her again, his hand running up her leg. "How are you feeling?"

Bella lifted her blindfold and took a bite of her melting ice cream as she took a moment to assess herself. "I have heartburn, don't know whether I'm hungry or not, I had to buy new bras for this trip because none of the ones I've had at home fit _at all_ , and I'm constantly horny. How the hell do you think I'm feeling, _Dear_?"

"Shame," he said with a shrug, removing his hand from her and got up to get the Pide off the bed. "I thought that maybe I'd try to get your mind off of things."

She narrowed her eyes on him as she got up to follow, her nose twitching at the smell of the food. "How so? With your face between my legs perhaps?"

"Yes, or my fingers… or something else…" He unwrapped the food and started to eat it. "But eh, if you're not feeling so great…"

"I said I was _constantly_ horny. What makes you think I'd turn that down?" she argued, reaching out for a piece of his food. "You have to be under some grand delusion that I would ever say no."

Grinning, Auggie sat down on the bed with his food. "Just how _horny_ are you, right now?"

Bella's lips turned into a smirk as she licked her fingers. Pushing him back, she pulled at his pants to drip some of the melting ice onto his lower stomach to lick off until she took his cock in her mouth, working him up until he was as breathless as he had her before. "Hm, they do say that protein does a body good."

"Oh fuck," he breathed as he pulled her on the bed with him. "That's it, you're mine now."

~o.O.o~

After breakfast, a happy, relaxed, Bella and Auggie went on their scavenger hunt. Auggie was slightly worried as if the man turned out to be Nasir, things could get pretty dangerous. "Okay, one rule," he said as they were heading towards the north west side of the square. "Should shit hit the fan, you're staying out of harm's way, got that?"

Bella scoffed at his directive but didn't outwardly object. "And you? What's your plan genius? I get you want me and the baby safe, but think about this from my end as well. We'd like Dad to come back with us as well. Either we're all going in, or we're all going out."

"Fine, then stay behind me and be my eyes."

She grinned and looked behind him and down at his ass. "I'll be happy to be your eyes," she replied, knowing exactly what he'd be doing if his own had been functioning. "The view is great by the way."

"Of course it is, I have a well toned ass, I work out, you know," he said with a grin and pulled her closer to him. "And I like your ass as well, nice and firm."

"By the end of this pregnancy, it'll be flabby and big. I think that it's also gotten larger already, like my boobs," she frowned.

"Oh, but there's nothing wrong with a little bit of volume. You'll always be gorgeous to me."

"Are you saying I'm getting fat now?" she questioned, the corners of her lips turning into a smile as she gripped his waist while she looked around. "I am told I have to gain upwards of fifty pounds but it is not at all gorgeous or pleasant."

"You're a human incubator, I think you shouldn't care," he smiled and stopped at the edge of the square.

"No woman is pleased about looking forward to swollen ankles and constant heartburn. Not to mention back pain and all the other aches that come with being a human incubator," she described what she had to anticipate. Hearing shouts coming from nearby, her head swung in that direction and her eyes sought out the source.

"What is it?" he asked as he could feel her react to the shouting. "I don't recognise any of those voices, but I think I hear the bells on the left somewhere, down the street."

She reached for his hand and squeezed it before starting in that direction. "It's the same area," she said, staying close to him. She smiled at the shop owners that were out as they passed stalls and glanced in their windows, their doors, for any bell like items.

They walked a little further down the street when he stopped again, a voice talking about something, the bells were close by. "That was the other voice on the recording."

Bella looked around, taking in the shop and ran her hand over his arm. "Rainsticks, not bells. Want me to buy one? They're actually really pretty."

He was about to tell her to get one when Khani's voice sounded. "Nope," he said, turning them around and walked in the opposite direction, pausing at another shop. "A guy just walked out of that shop, where's he going?"

She looked over his shoulder, bewildered but kept her emotions controlled. "He's looking around, and...walking the other way," she said, turning to look at the scarves of the stand they were at and took some money out to pay for a couple when the man looked around again. "Auggie? He seems rather paranoid."

"He's a terrorist, of course he's paranoid," he said gently as she could feel her stuff whatever she bought in her bag. "Let's cross the street, don't lose him out of your sight. Just let me know when you have to follow him into something and I'll wait."

"I know how to do my job," she scowled, tugging on him so that they could move.

"Good," he said with a grin and followed her lead. "Pregnancy hormones, you never know."

"Pregnant, not invalid. Another thing that the doctor mentioned, that I'm sure you heard on your books, I tend to get stronger when I get upset," Bella warned, pinching the inside of his elbow. "You really should watch your words, future husband."

"Well, future wife, I'm merely trying to make us look distracted instead of focused."

"I think a bickering couple is distracted enough," she rolled her eyes.

He snickered and followed her for awhile until she stopped. "What's going on?"

Bella had pulled him behind a mobile stand and looked at the trinkets as she peered around at the man. "He went into a restaurant or coffee shop."

"Alright," he sighed as he took out his phone. "Keep an open connection, I want to hear everything and I certainly want to know you're okay."

"You know what the bill is going to be like depending on how long I might end up having to be in there?"

"We'll send it to Joan and Arthur."

She took it, playing with it in her hands. "And if this is chasing ghosts?"

"I'll sell a kidney," he shrugged.

"What if our child needs that kidney?"

"Fine, we'll sell yours," he smiled widely. "You're going to be fine. I'll be right here."

Bella dropped her arms and shook her head. "Look, I can't speak Arabic, but I can understand it enough to get by. I'll be alright. Trust me to get what you want to know - without a ridiculous phone bill."

"But I want that ridiculous phone bill just so I know you and the nugget are okay. I know you are more than capable of handling yourself but we're off book here," he reached out to cup her face and smiled at her. "Please."

She let out a sigh and handed him her phone, dialing it and put the device on mute so that she wouldn't receive any sound on her end. "I'll be back. Don't come storming the gate unless I ask for a knight," she ordered, kissing him lightly before heading in, pulling one of her new scarves out to wrap around her head. She didn't know how traditional anyone would be inside, so it would be better safe than anything else.

Auggie leaned against the wall, appearing to enjoy the sun while Bella went inside the restaurant and sighed. This truly sucked. More and more it started to sound like it was truly Nasir, or Khani or whatever, and he wanted to take him down.

Making her way to the counter, Bella ordered herself a tea and checked her watch before looking around. Spotting the man they'd been following, she turned away to wait for her order. While her Arabic speaking sucked, she was able to understand a little and what she was able to pick up was disturbing. As soon as the tea was set down in front of her, it took all she had in her to hold it steady as she lifted it to her lips.

He didn't like what he was hearing - at all. He was going to come to Washington and they had a chance of stopping him now. He needed to call Annie to have her arrange transport to the location of the cargo plane - if she wanted to do that. Probably not. He couldn't wait for Bella to return, growing antsy when it was taking her some time, and pull her into an alley to call Annie.

As the conversation begun to shift to other topics, Bella finished her tea and begun to behave frustrated by the lack of her 'date' meeting her on time. Paying for her drink and thanking the server, she made her way out, quickly slipping across the street back by Auggie. "Okay, so you weren't hallucinating," she said as soon as she got to him, yanking her scarf off and eyeing everyone around them cautiously. "What do we do now?"

"We call Annie. We need to stop him from getting on that plane," he said as he took her hand and started to walk away from the restaurant. "If you're up for it. I could do it by myself, but he can't be in the States and disappear."

Bella drew in a deep breath, understanding the implication of what he was saying. "No. If we're doing this, we're doing this together. We'll see this through until the end, no matter what," she said evenly, even as her heart pounded in her chest.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do this, you know. You can just… walk away," he said as he turned a corner with her.

"Auggie. I'm with you. Who knows? With the both of us, we might have a little luck and get through this together. If not a little bruised, but alive. But I'm not leaving you here to deal with this alone. You won't get rid of me that easily, no matter the reasoning."

He stopped and took a deep breath before tapping his phone and put Annie on speaker. "Okay, then let's do this," he said, gently squeezing her hand as Annie picked up the phone. "Hey, it's us."

" _Hey! Did you know that Khani's been investigated by the FBI? Rossabi intercepted me when I was in Baltimore visiting his sister. So to answer your original question, he's not dead. But I think you already knew that."_

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The FBI. This made matters even more pressing because they would want Khani alive. "Annie, we're going to have to make this fast. We need to be in Sanayi at 4pm."

" _The concert can wait! There was a special forces unit tracking him during the Iraq War. That was you, wasn't it?"_

"Annie, I have something I have to tell you," he sounded deadly calm, but his heart was racing. Of course he was calm, their vacation had truly turned into an op. A deadly one at that.

" _Please! Why couldn't you have told me from the beginning?"_

"Look, I want to thank you for all that you've done for me. I am sorry that I didn't read you in. And I'm sorry you went to all this trouble. I truly am."

" _Auggie. Please. Tell me what's going on. Let me help you."_

"Thanks again. For everything. Goodbye, Annie," He disconnected the call before she could answer. "We need to do this now. The FBI are involved."

"And she's no doubt on her way to Joan by now. You didn't give her much room to come up with alternative ideas for what we're looking to do here," Bella murmured, her hands coming up to his neck and resting her forehead against his.

"No, because if I had, she would have tried to talk me into not killing him. He blew up my men, sure, one wasn't alive and the other was hurt, but he blew up my men, and made me blind. He betrayed us. He's been living under the radar for years and if he sets foot in the States, we'll lose him. Either to the FBI or we'll never hear from him again until he blows something up," he said as he took a deep breath. "He needs to pay for his betrayal and we need to stop him from doing worse. I don't trust the FBI to really follow up on this, you know what I mean?"

"I don't trust the FBI to care for my dead goldfish so let's go get this party rolling, shall we? I've had my share of them back in Forks to last me a lifetime."

"Is there anything you need from the apartment or can you live without your stuff until I can have Kasim send them back?"

"If we survive this, you will stock me up on ice cream until I can't eat anymore. Otherwise, everything we need will be at home and we won't be leaving there for a very long time. I don't give two shits what Joan has to say. I'm tired."

"Yeah, me too," he sighed. "If we survive this, we could always quit. I'm tired of the job getting in the way of things. Or needing to have to adjust my life around work. Or not having the freedom to do things. Like a normal life."

"They won't let that happen, but we can arrange for less active work. You could have taken that job that Arthur offered."

"Oh, hell no," he said as he lead them down the road, there was something he needed to get for the both of them. "That would have meant I would become overt and I'm not ready for that. Too many skeletons buried in too many places and people who would be more than willing to take me out."

Bella smirked. "Yes. The list of ex-girlfriends is quite impressive."

"And I wasn't even thinking about that! Holy cow, no, that would be disastrous."

"As long as I'm the last, you'll survive."

"You are the last. You should have been the… nope, that was Ricky in high school, but yeah, you should definitely have been the first after college."

She smiled up at him as she walked. "Nice save. Alright. Let's play, Cowboy. What's the plan now?"

"We're going to pick up some knives," he said cheerfully. "There should be a shop front with the word 'knife' on it. Yeah, I know, really obvious, but it works. He never gets raided and as far as the police goes, he sells kitchen appliances."

"Knives...okay," she said as she looked around. "As long as we don't bring this home to use later if you're buying them for what I think you are. I'd rather go with Charlie's suggestion and get my permit again and keep something hidden just in case of unwelcomed visitors."

"Just in case he has a gun," Auggie shrugged.

"There is a saying that you don't bring a knife to a gunfight," she pointed out.

"Unless you're trained in hand to hand combat," he countered. "And have amazing ears and a pair of eyes and ears to back you up."

After picking up the knives, a taxi drove them to the small airport. Finding their way around was going to get tricky, but he was glad that Bella was with him. Going in half cocked wasn't his brightest idea. Auggie had switched off his phone in case Annie would call him and try to reason with him - as she usually tried to do.

When Bella's phone went off, she knew what it was and sighed, as she stared ahead at the air strip as she pulled the device out and answered it. "What Annie?"

" _Look, whatever you two are going to do, don't. The FBI are ready to take Khani into custody._

 _They have enough evidence to prosecute him and shut down all of his networks. That's dozens of cells all over the world plotting attacks against Americans and American interests._

 _The Office of International Affairs at the Justice Department is on board, and we've arranged to reroute that flight to D.C."_

Bella let out a sigh. Both for Auggie, and for herself as she would stand by him. Even in this crazy, dangerous plan.

" _I know that Auggie's furious and hurt and that you're there with him, but this is what we do. What we work towards every day. Thousands of lives could be saved. Don't risk your own."_

"Yes. Thousands of lives could, and will be saved. It's too late Annie. I'm watching out for him and we're in this together. Goodbye Annie."

" _But!"_

Bella hung up the phone before she could attempt to sway them further. Taking the back cover off and removing the battery, she pocketed it and the sim card. "Okay, so that didn't go as planned."

"You have to applaud her for her tenacity," he smiled. "Always trying to fight the good fight."

"If we survive, later, maybe," she shrugged. "You want to get on that plan and get incredibly uncomfortable? I'm sure I'm just going to _love_ it. Best vacation _ever!_ "

"Sorry," he grinned as they continued to walk towards the plane. "We should have just stuck with Disney."

She smirked. "They have concerts too. Not like your jazz, but we can attend some great stuff without leaving the country next time. New Orleans. Maybe even meet some vampires."

Auggie paused for a moment and sighed. It was her one vice that she didn't want to be blindfolded for. This ridiculous TV show about vampires in New Orleans. And witches. And werewolves and lots of blood and booze. "You do know that that show is entirely fictional, right? No hot hybrids walking the streets."

"Hey! I don't say anything about you and your geeking out when you ramble on about techy gadget stuff that I don't understand. Leave my vampires and hybrid alone!"

"But techy gadget stuff is _real_."

"So are tickets to the conventions."

"You could probably even use your NOC to get into that. Hell, even to the set. You're writing a paper on historic trinkets used in TV shows. Voila. You're welcome."

Bella turned to look at him and blinked. "We never discuss free passes…"

"Bella, I will not forgive you if you go to the set or to some convention and seduce your favourite actor and sleep with him."

"Glad we got that on record because if one of your exes show up and I find out you slept with them, I'll have your balls on my desk. Bronzed."

"You can have them for lunch," he promised her as they had gotten to the plane. The door was already closed and they had to act fast. Using the hull of the plane as his guide, he walked to the front wheel. "Are you ready?" he asked in a whisper.

"Let's kick some ass, since I won't be getting any hybrids in this lifetime," she muttered to herself.

He helped her climb through the landing gear to get onto the plane before helping himself in and maneuvered her behind him. Auggie had already instructed her to hold on to his shirt and tug on his left or right side if he needed to move. Slowly, but surely, he advanced in the hold, the giant plastic squares on either side of them felt solid, not hollow, but he figured that there was barely any space left to sit or stand. There must be a hollowed out square somewhere. He tried to listen for any living sounds, non-mechanical, but the plane's natural sound, the banging of the metal as the wind made contact with the outer hull, was too overwhelming.

Bella tried to keep alert but she couldn't see anything and drew a _0_ on his back, to communicate that she couldn't find anything obvious on the surface without them separating for her to search further. There were just too many crevices, barricades, and places to hide.

Eventually, he had pinpointed the location of Khani, and motioned for Bella to get out of sight before throwing a loud, small children's toy inside his hideout. Auggie hadn't expected him to blow him back, but he managed to regain his posture and started hitting him. It was messy, but as long as he was in control, he would have a chance of getting out of this alive and Khani dead.

At some point, Auggie missed, and Khani managed to get a few good blows in, pushing Auggie against one of the pieces of cargo and actually recognizing him. Wrestling free of his hold, Auggie wasn't sure where Khani was anymore, he couldn't see. Fuck, why did the fucker have to bomb them and blind him? He would have been better off dead with his luck.

Bella swung a pipe at Khani as he tried to make it past where she had hid, grunting with the effort as it struck his shoulder.

"Can't do this alone, can you, Captain?" Khani breathed as he struck Bella in the face, knocking her back against another part of the cargo. She slid down, groaning from the impact. "You need a woman to fight your battles?"

"Bella!" Auggie called out. "Are you okay?"

"Women. So weak."

He swung in the direction of the noise, but realized too late that it was Khani kicking against things and found himself in a headlock again. Afraid that something had happened to Bella, Auggie fought back, hard. Elbow to Khani's face, loosening his hold so that he could flip him over and knock him out. Much to Auggie's surprise, he had actually space to do the maneuver and once he had him pinned down to the floor, he found his strength increasing with every punch to the face.

Maybe Annie was right. Maybe not. But he had hurt Bella. Bella got hurt because Auggie allowed her to come with him.

"Auggie?" Bella moaned as she moved to sit up, her hand coming to her face and winced. "Ow, fuck...I owe that bastard an asskicking…"

When Khani was unresponsive, Auggie pulled out the knife he had in his bag and unsheathed it, but once he was ready to kill him - for Bella, he hesitated. Since when had this turned into killing someone for Bella? This was his fight. His nightmare. Khani's punishment.

Then again, an easy death wouldn't be punishment at all and it wouldn't bring his unit back.

With a grunt, Auggie hit him straight in the face, knocking him out before letting out a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

She looked around, and knew she would be having a hell of a headache to come, as well as a shiner. "Yeah. He got me good in the face, but otherwise, top shape. I want a swing at him when he comes to. Maybe a kick to the balls as retribution."

"You got it," he let out a snort. "Care to help me wrap him up for the feds?"

Bella held the side of her face as her eye started to swell already. "Fair warning, we're working with only one eyeball here right now. Don't expect miracles. And I really do want those tickets now but I promise to stay away from the hybrids if you come with me."

"Is there a hot chick in that show?"

"Eh… She's annoying and reminds me of a young Joan. Sure. The other is jailbait."

"Oh gross," he shook his head. "I'll just have to be your bodyguard then. Surely I'll have to punch some nerds for touching you because you'll be going in a princess Leia costume."

Bella stood up and eyed him with her good eye. "You do know that when you get all possessive on me, only makes you all that much hotter. That will be a _fun_ vacation. Maybe Dad will watch the baby for it."

"I think we're in deep shit when we land," he said as he turned Khani over and started to wrap his hands together with one of Bella's scarves. "We're definitely going to be fired this time."

She sneered at the unconscious body as his legs parted and went and kicked him between them, nearly falling over in the process. Reaching out to catch her balance, she huffed. "Let them. I don't give a shit. If they fire us, they fire us. They shove us deeper, let them. Whatever keeps us from having to deal with _this_. I see any of their agents that aren't our friends at the door, I will consider them a threat."

They continued to talk about the CIA on their flight back, and more and more he felt this need to leave. He had felt it numerous of times before, but this time, he had actually someone who felt the same, on his side and with him. They both liked aspects of their job but they needed distance from it, an extended break. Doing something completely different because ever since they both graduated college, the CIA was all that they knew.

It was time for a change.


	19. Chapter 19

It took careful consideration on their decision, and they knew it was a big change they would be making in their lives when they agreed but having their papers printed and signed with their names already in hand when they returned to the office, Bella and Auggie were prepared when Joan called for them the moment they stepped through the DPD doors.

"Are you ready for this?" Bella asked as she lead them past the desks and up to the office.

"It's still a frightening idea, but I'm up for a challenge," he smiled at her. "It's all we've known for the last 13 years or so."

"A new adventure," she breathed out before they entered Joan's office, unprepared for her attack.

"This is the second event in a very short span of time that you two got into trouble. Once it was part of an ongoing CIA mission, and now this! You two need to get your head sorted out! Or how about a refresher course at the Farm to observe protocol at all times?!"

"Um, Joan? Should we hand in our resignations now or wait until the end of your lecture?" Bella asked, holding up the folder she came in with, waving it slightly. "All signed and ready."

"What? You're not resigning, you can't resign," Joan said, baffled. "You're too valuable to the Agency - to me - to resign."

Stepping forward to set it down on her desk, Bella shook her head. "And we're done. You know I love you Joan, but we have other priorities to think about now, and the Agency isn't one of them. Not anymore. We have to put ourselves first, starting with resigning."

"That's not how it works."

"Yes, it is," Auggie calmly spoke up as he held out his folder for Joan to take. "And you're going to accept our resignation."

"I won't."

"Then we will go to Arthur," Bella replied, taking her folder back and reaching for Auggie's elbow.

"And he will do the same thing. Refuse. Well, he might let you go, but Auggie?"

"The DCI won't. He hates me."

"And he hates me," Auggie grinned. "I'm sure he'd welcome our resignation."

"Now you're just childish," Joan said as she blocked the door with her body. "You're not going to Arthur and not to the DCI."

Bella sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. Shaking her head she held out her arms. "What do you expect us to do? We can't be here. We can't do our jobs, to serve the company that we aren't entirely happy at anymore. That we aren't safe in. We're having a baby, Joan. That is our first and only concern-"

"The CIA has excellent daycare."

"And if one of us gets sent on a mission and doesn't come home? I can't handle that possibility."

Joan sighed and rubbed her temples. "As your family, I can understand, but as your boss…"

"As our boss, take our resignation and find someone else to replace us," she insisted. "There are other good agents out there. Being in the field like I've been doing doesn't work anymore. And you know that I don't fit behind a desk."

"As your boss, you will allow me to come up with a different alternative, beneficial for the both of us. I need a day," Joan said kindly. "If I can't find something, I'll accept your resignation."

Bella stepped back and took Auggie's hand to pull him towards the window a few steps. She wasn't happy but if it gave Joan some sense of closure over their leaving, she'd be able to live with it.

"She wants to stay in control," he murmured. "She needs to be in control over us leaving, can't blame her for that. Let's give her a day, see what she comes up with, and we can always refuse."

"It's a reasonable compromise but if she does find something? Do you want to hear it out?"

"We can always refuse."

She nodded slowly. "We could."

"So let her believe she's in control," he smiled at her. "We'll see what she comes up with. I mean, who knows? We might actually like the idea, and it would save us the hassle of finding something to do."

She scrunched up her face. "What if it's something like Bluebonnet duty? I'll kill you in your sleep if that's what she comes up with."

"If it's Bluebonnet, we'll sneak into Joan's house and kill her in her sleep," he grinned.

Looking back over at Joan, she appeared distressed and worried; Bella squeezed Auggie's hand. "Deal. We'll come in tomorrow and see what you come up with. No promises, though. We'll still have our letters with us in the case that we decide to leave."

"Just know that we're making this decision with a sound mind and that this has been in the making for quite some time," Auggie calmly spoke. "This isn't a decision made lightly, but it's what we think is best for us."

"I understand, and I appreciate it that you're allowing me time to find something you could find yourselves in. Thank you," Joan said nervously as she stepped away from the door and opened it. She was going to have a hell of a day and Arthur wasn't going to be happy about this either.

Bella nodded as she walked out, straight for Auggie's office, intending to stay isolated in with him for the work day. While she'd been able to get over the aversion to some of the coffee scents most recently, she still hated being in the office for any lengthy period.

He went to his office, knowing Bella was there and sat down in his chair. Auggie then smiled. "Come sit on my lap, let's go and look for some furniture for our house online."

With such simple words, the stress from what happened moments before eased off as she made her way over and she settled on him, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and laying her head down. "I love you."

Smiling, he kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, now, what did you have in mind?"

She turned her head, her nose brushing along his jaw. "Leather sofa won't work anymore. Not when we have baby formula and spit up coming. It'll just be a disgusting mess. But I always wanted a sectional. Some fabrics later would be better, standing up against stabbings and pulls by a child."

"Oh, a sectional… how about two? Make it go round the living room, that would be so comfy," he smiled widely. "Like… you know… when you go camping, and you're all sitting around a fire? That would be so cool to have that inside the house. Just one opening and be in a circle. No one would feel left out in a conversation either because of it. With a round table in the middle and squares in the breaks of the sectional to make a corner, and the kid can't hurt himself on it."

Bella grinned as she envisioned the concept for the area of the loft they had, as it would only be larger in the house. "I like that, a lot. Helps keep things contained when you're home alone."

"Yeah unless it learns how to climb stuff, then we have to put safety nets all around the sections just to be on the safe side," he said with a grin.

"We just build us a little zoo pen. It'll be fun to see you trapped in with a screaming toddler."

"Oh yeah, well, as you may know, I'm good with kids. I entertained an entire class of third graders last year," he said smugly. "And my nieces and nephews like me."

"I remember," she said, amused. "You had a particular monkey on your back at the museum, and they kept trying to take your cane."

"Yep and you saved me," he smirked and kissed the top of her head again. "Okay, so where do we start looking for that sectional?" he asked as his hands moved to his keyboard and opened up the browser.

"A furniture store where we can sit and test the comfort in person, but I think I'm game for a trip to IKEA for new accessories this weekend."

"I went to IKEA once with you," he stated, horrified. "During that trip, you left me alone a few times to test things out, I got run over by kids, bumped into everything despite my cane and I got lost."

Bella pouted as she played with the button on his collar.

"If we're going, you're wearing a bell," he stated with a nod. "Or I'll put you on a leash."

The thought actually caused her to flush. "Would that include a collar? Because I think we could make that work later…" She asked suggestively, her finger running along his neck.

"Bella," he cooed. "Do I need to remind you that we're at work and that my office isn't particularly closed off to the public?"

"You're the one that mentioned leashes. You can't hold that against me," she argued. "IKEA has about everything we need. Whatever we don't find or like we can go somewhere else, like Ashley Furniture or something."

"Yes, you're right," he said with a nod. "Fine, IKEA this weekend. You're wearing a bell. And we need to ask Danny what his plans are for the sizes of the rooms."

"I'll call him when we get home and get the details. Whatever we find, if we get it now we can have put into a storage unit until it's ready to be moved in. I'm going to get some sandwiches. You want?" Bella asked, kissing his cheek as she moved to get up.

"Yes please," he smiled widely. "And coffee. But tea's fine too." He had switched to tea around Bella, mainly because of Bella's aversion to coffee and there was caffeine in tea, he just had to drink more cups to get the same effect.

She agreed on her way out, passing by her desk only to see if she'd left anything of hers there. Ignoring paperwork, she kept going on her way out to the cafeteria. It wasn't the best food, at least that her new tastes preferred but she was suddenly hungry, and she wasn't leaving without Auggie. Not after everything.

"Oh! Bella!" Annie said as she caught up with her, holding a big box. "How are you feeling today?"

Bella turned around on her way through the hall back to DPD with lunch and drinks and smiled. "Been better. Been worse too. How's things going?"

"It's quiet," she shrugged and looked apologetically. "I have something to confess…"

Having been in the process of attempting to get into one of the sandwiches to sneak a bite, her eyes darted over to the blond and frowned. "What did you do Walker?"

"I may have accidentally told Danielle about your pregnancy over the weekend…"

Bella stopped short at that, having just reached the doors to their department. "How? Why? I mean, it's not like it's a secret but we've been trying to take time to adjust to this ourselves. We told our family only to get it out of the way but fuck Annie! Your sister?!"

"I know, I know," Annie winced and held up the box for her. "Danielle pried it out of me. She made you this."

"How the hell did she pry it out of you? What did you say that set her mom radar off?" Bella asked, eying the box, lifting the corner with her finger. "What's this?"

"Cupcakes. For a baby shower… that she wants to cater free of charge…" Annie said carefully, knowing that Bella and Auggie likely weren't going to have one. "And she told me she hadn't done a baby shower yet with her catering business and your pregnancy slipped my mind… it was out before I knew it, I swear."

Bella growled, shaking her head. "You get to turn your sister down. I don't care how." She said setting her sandwiches and drinks on top of the box and taking it from her. "But I'm keeping these."

"I'll tell her to make more as an apology for intruding," she nodded. "Less baby themed."

Bella paused at that. "Knowing her, it would be wedding themed. No. Not ready for those details yet."

"Not wedding themed either," Annie laughed. "I promise. Maybe I'll tell her to make them rainbow cakes."

She shrugged and pushed the doors open. "Whatever. You might have to deliver them at home, though. Just a heads up."

"Or I could just give them to Auggie; he can take it with him."

Bella hesitated to respond to that, slowing in her step as they reached the steps. "Same thing, Annie."

Annie paused as she looked at Bella. "I know that your trip to Istanbul turned into a working one, but I can't believe Joan is giving you another week to compensate."

"No. We tried resigning, and she asked for a day to find an alternative to keep us from leaving. Just don't let anyone know," Bella whispered as she leaned into her.

Annie blinked at that before stomping off to Auggie's office. "You can't do this! We need you here!"

"Indoor voice, Walker, or close the damn door," he replied annoyed as he turned around to face her.

Bella slipped in, pissed off at the tantrum that their friend and colleague was throwing and went to set the food down. "A little support would be nice, but I guess our friendship doesn't mean that much."

"No, you don't get to ask for support," Annie said as she closed the door and looked at the both of them. "Not until you give me a reason why."

"You don't get to demand answers for what we decide we need for our lives," Bella responded, trying to remain calm. "You should realize already why we came to this decision."

"No, no, you get me wrong," Annie said as she looked at Bella. "I can completely understand why you want to quit, but Auggie? Is your beef with the CIA's bureaucracy that out of control?"

"Annie," Auggie said calmly. "First, Anything I do, someone else can do, perhaps even quicker, so you don't have to worry about not getting the proper support. Secondly, not everything is about bureaucracy, Annie. Yes, I have my grievances with it, but it's not the reason for me to resign. Bella and I have been doing this for 13 years, if not more. It's all we know. The CIA demands that they come first, and that's not what we want. We simply can't make that sacrifice anymore. We're tired. We're done."

"Wow, Auggie. I thought of you like everything, but not a quitter."

Bella let out a huff and shook her head. "Of all he said, that's what you took from that? Joan refused our resignations asking for a day for alternatives. We agreed to hear her out, but there is no guarantee that we will agree to it. We might accept it, but it is slim at this point. We are thinking about our future and the future of our baby. I'm sorry to say that your feelings do not factor in on this and if you feel otherwise, there is the door."

"Look, Annie, this shouldn't have come as news to you. I've told you before; there have been many times over the last years where I wanted to quit. Do something else."

"I know that, but I didn't think you were going to go through with it."

"Well, I am. We are. I understand you're upset, but this has nothing to do with you," Auggie said kindly. "We'd appreciate it if you could keep this to yourself, okay?"

Annie looked between Bella and Auggie. Bella looked severely annoyed, and Auggie has his 'explanation face' on. On top of that, he looked very determined. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. Good luck with whatever comes next and I hope we can remain friends."

"Use your brain before opening your mouth and we should. You're a smart girl," Bella snapped. She didn't entirely blame her; she knew the young agent was upset by the news, but Bella was angry by how she reacted. Making herself comfortable in the extra seat in the office, she pulled out one of the blue cupcakes Danielle made, licking the frosting from her fingers. "Tell Danielle they're good but the answer is still no."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Annie muttered as she made herself scarce.

"Well, that was interesting," Auggie said out loud. "What are you eating?"

Bella smiled before taking another bite, answering with a full mouth. "Cupcake!"

"Danielle's?" He held out his hand. "Give me!"

"No. Henry Wilcox's. Of course Danielle's. Mine," she refused, putting his sandwich in his hand instead.

Auggie huffed as he unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite off it. "Yum, cupcake."

"I'll give you a cupcake, Cupcake… I did get you your coffee. But you'll have to wait for your treat."

"My treat?" He smiled widely as he pushed his chair away from his computer towards Bella and held out his hand for his coffee. "What treat?"

Passing him his coffee, she smirked and took a cupcake from the box and hit him in the nose with the frosting before wiping it off. "I'm sure you can come up with some ideas. Later."

"Oh, frosting… hmm…." he smiled and rubbed his nose before picking up his sandwich again. "Whipped cream on your breasts…" Auggie shook his head and took a sip of the burning liquid to re-focus. When his phone rang, he managed to compose himself well enough to pick it up. "Anderson… Yes, I can do that. It'll be in your mailbox in ten minutes... Yep, don't worry about it," he said before hanging up again and stuffed the remaining piece of sandwich in his mouth. "I need to do something really quick," he said, turning to his computer and found his headset to listen to the guidance.

"Go on, earn your paycheck. I'll just sit here and get fat," Bella shrugged and pulled out her sandwich. Bella kicked her feet up on the sill and had her lunch open on her lap, wishing she had her cell phone with her as she mentally thought about things that they still needed to do.

~o.O.o~

"Thank you both for coming back," Joan said relieved as Auggie and Bella entered her office. "You didn't have to, and you could have sent me your resignation letters in the mail."

"And that's not how it works," Auggie replied, following Bella to the couch to sit down. "You've always treated us well, and we don't want to part on bad terms."

"Well, I hope that my offer to you means we don't have to part at all."

Bella raised an eyebrow as she looked back at her. "You know what our position is. It really depends on what you suggest that can convince us that will make staying worth the effort."

"Do you like your NOC at the Smithsonian, Bella?" Joan wondered as she sat down in the chair next to the couch, looking at her with a smile. "I mean, would you like a different position there or are you enjoying yourself?"

She couldn't help but wonder where she was going with that. "I like it well enough. It has its moments, but I like the times I go in."

"Would you like something else? A better position, perhaps? A different department?"

"My position is fine. I have no complaints about it. What is your proposal, Joan?"

"If you resign, you'll lose your position at the Smithsonian, seeing as it's only your NOC and not your day job," Joan explained kindly. "You'd have to look for a different job yourself. You could reapply at the Smithsonian, of course. No doubt they'll let you in, but why go through the hassle? I could put you on inactive duty, give you a pay rise and nothing else has to change, other than you're not doing your job for us anymore unless we really need you."

Bella sighed and shook her head. "It's not about the money. I don't need or want a raise. How can I do work for you and still get what I want? It's impossible. I can't be behind a desk, and I've been in the field too long, too much. I know how they can go…"

"What part of inactive duty don't you understand? You can keep your NOC that way if you're attached to it, but let it sink in for a few days, think about what you want, okay? If you still don't want it, I'll accept your resignation but under protest."

"I think she has an ulterior motive for offering you that," Auggie said as he gently squeezed her leg. "Don't you, Joan?"

He could hear the smile in Joan's voice. "That's correct."

"So what is it? What's the problem?"

"You are. Well, not to us, but for yourself," Joan responded kindly. "You're too valuable to us. You've worked so hard, and you've made yourself indispensable, which is probably why you get away with so much. Over the years, because of your hard work, you've managed to paint a target on your own back. Some cases in your past could rear its ugly head and come to bite you in the ass, provide a danger to you."

"I don't care; you can't keep me against my will."

"Because of your work, you have more knowledge about the CIA and its structure than any other operative in this building, likely even more than me and Arthur. What if you get kidnapped and get tortured for that information?"

"Joan, you know as well as I do-"

"What if they do break you, Auggie?"

This was bullshit. "This is bullshit, Joan. You can't keep me here," he said annoyed. "I know I've threatened to leave over the years, even came close to handing in my resignation the last time Tash came to town but seriously, I'm serious. I want a change of life. I want a different pace."

"You love adventures; you love your job and the people coming with it. You're excited about the unknown and leaving the CIA will be just that, but l believe that you'll be working for a private contractor within three months because of cabin fever or you'd call me to give you your old job back. Auggie, I understand why you want to leave, and I'm proposing a compromise." Joan hated this. She had told Arthur that too, but she realized that her husband was right. In order for allowing Bella and Auggie to create the life they wanted to have, some rules needed to be bent or slightly damaged. "Forgive me when I'm wrong but I believe that one of the reasons you want to leave is to make sure that your fledgling family will be safe. I can understand that. I wish I would have been able to make that step because I've lost so much myself. If you resign, you'll be giving up that safety and resources at your disposal to make sure that Bella and your unborn child are safe."

"Our home will be secure, Joan, we'll be safe."

"Inside your house, yes," Joan nodded. "But what if one of your skeletons comes out of the woodwork and decides to abduct Bella from her job at the Smithsonian or whatever she chooses?"

"I'd call the cops."

"Auggie," she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"What, Joan? What do you want me to say? Do you honestly think that your scare tactics work?"

"They're not scare tactics," Joan countered. "Our analysts ran a provisionary risk assessment on both of your lives should you leave. Would you like to read their report?"

"Yes!"

"Very well, I'll have them email you a copy. Now, until then, could you hold your tongue and hear me out?"

"No."

"Auggie."

"Fine," he threw up his hands in defense like a petulant child.

"This is highly unconventional, but we'd love it if you'd continue to work for us. If you can make the connection secure, we will allow you to work from home. Be present at meetings via computer, help us over the phone. You can choose your own hours and we won't-"

"Joan, I don't know what Bella's decision will be but I'm sticking with my answer, and that's 'no.' Yes, I love my job. Yes, I love working with everyone, and I really appreciate you for giving me some space to wiggle in when I need it, but for years the CIA has been my number one priority. I allowed you to dictate who I could date, who I couldn't date. How or where I lived. Working for the Agency has a price, and I'm no longer willing to pay for it. I am proud to serve my country, but I've had enough. I'm tired. I don't want to die one day and realize that I haven't lived my life to the fullest."

"What about your safety?"

"We'll be safe, in and outside the house. Whatever pops up - if they pop up at all, we'll deal with it then, but nobody knows the future, and those analysts only work with statistics and odds, but I feel like the odds are finally in my favor, and I'm not worried."

Joan was exacerbated and looked to Bella, who remained quiet, and marginally upset. "Bella? What do you want?"

She looked at her with a small smile. "I want everything and we can't have it. There has to be sacrifices and compromises and to me, this isn't a question if I'm willing to through with it. I know Auggie would never ask me to stop to make him happy, but I am so that we can be together. I know I could make my NOC work further, like a regular job, but it would remind me and make me miss the field too much. The answer is no Joan. I'm sorry."

"So you're only resigning because he is?"

"No. I'm leaving because it's what is best for me and our relationship," Bella answered, her voice firm and starting to grow warm with anger. "I won't entertain any other excuses now. Is there anything else? I already cleared my desk."

"Alright, then I wish the both of you a lot of luck in your new personal adventure," Joan said, defeated. "If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Bella nodded, reaching to take Auggie's hand. "If we did, in that way, of course. Otherwise, you are simply family. Not my boss anymore."

"Thanks, Joan," Auggie said as he got to his feet and extended his other hand towards Joan. "For everything. You're the best boss someone could have."

"Good luck, really," Joan said, shaking Auggie's hand and then Bella's. "Hand in your passes at security and Auggie, don't forget to clean out your desk as well. We'll think of something for all the additional technology you used, but they're staying."

"Of course."

"I'll go help him with his office now. Thanks for everything," Bella smiled. "We do have a lot to deal with even with our time freed up now. So…"

Joan pointed to the door. "We'll have a family dinner soon, I promise."

Bella soon made her way out of the office with Auggie and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her hand gripped his hard, as her eyes drank in the department floor. "Holy shit… Did we really just quit?"

"Uh… I think we did…" he said slowly and then laughed. "I can't believe we're free."

She turned to look at him and grinned at the pure joy on his face. "We are. We are free."

"I can't believe it was that easy but yeah, we are free. Shame you can't drink to celebrate."

"You're drinking double for that… Asshole."

A/N: And that's it! The last chapter of this story! We do have a sequel in the works because surely, it can't end this way? However, before we work on that, we are going to finish one of our WIPs first. It's the least we can do.

Thank you for reading!

In the meantime, you can read our individual stories! We're meekobb and buggyfiction here!

xxx

Meeko & Buggy


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